ARPANSA has published updated diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for medical imaging.
The Australian National DRLs provide guidance to clinics on the typical radiation doses received by average-sized patients during different types of medical imaging such as computed tomography (CT) scans.
Medical imaging facilities compare the median dose for a sample of their patients to the reference level for each procedure type. This comparison helps ensure radiation exposures are minimised, without sacrificing adequate image quality for effective diagnosis of disease and injury.
The national reference levels for CT were updated in March 2021 based on data from more than 370 medical imaging providers.
The process involved a review of dose data submitted in 2019 and update of reference levels for neck, cervical spine, and kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) scans. KUB reference levels were previously based on earlier data for general abdominal scans but have now been refined based on data specifically for KUB scans. From 1 October 2021, accreditation assessors will be requiring sites to use the updated reference levels when undertaking comparisons.
'The new reference levels show that, as expected, the actual doses being received by patients during these types of scans are lower than the reference levels published in 2018', said Dr Peter Thomas, Director of Medical Imaging at ARPANSA.
