The spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Moscow has led to a significant increase in the number of chest CT scans performed on patients as part of the diagnosis and assessment of the effectiveness of therapy. The change in the structure of radiation diagnostics in Moscow associated with COVID-19 leads to changes in the magnitude and structure of the collective dose of the population of Moscow, while the process of changing the collective dose is multidirectional. Since at the moment there is no reliable information on changes in the structure of radiation diagnostics and the levels of exposure of the population of Moscow in connection with the COVID-19 epidemic, this work was carried out to change the current situation.
The basic capabilities of patient dose monitoring software (DMS) available on the world market were studied. The main technical requirements for the software functional needed in practical work were defined. Modern DMS has wide range of possibilities for automated collection, storage and control of patient radiation exposure data in radiology departments. DMS increases the quality of healthcare services, provides patient safety and optimizes workflow of medical organization.
In recent years, an increase in the collective dose from medical exposure has been recorded annually, which is associated with an increase in the availability of high-tech methods of medical care and an increase of their percentage in the structure of X-ray studies. However, any exposure to ionizing radiation on a patient is associated with an increased risk of stochastic effects. The justification principle is the most effective to ensure the radiation safety of patients. The article considers in detail the experiment on the application of the justification principle in medical organizations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of unjustified referrals to radiological examinations and their impact on the collective effective dose of patients in outpatient medical organizations. As a result, it was ound, that the collective dose from studies with unjustified referrals contributes 21% to the annual collective dose from X-ray studies in outpatient medical organizations. The result obtained confirms the need to ensure the availability of information on clinical recommendations, the accumulated effective dose and patient characteristics in medical information systems, and proves the importance of using this information when prescribing X-ray radiological studies.
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