ABSTRACT
Concerns regarding the inherent risk due to the increased administration of x-ray radiation in the healing arts have called for improved documentation and reporting of radiation dose, as well as the development of information systems to support these requirements. Radiation Dose Index Monitoring Systems are relatively new information technology systems used to collect modality-specific x-ray radiation dose information as well as other aside information from medical imaging modalities. Beyond mere collection, there is the required analysis, production of dashboard graphics, and presentation to stakeholders to drive dose-reduction initiatives, reduction of inter-examination dose variance, and root-cause determination of outliers. The goal of implementing these systems is to make the end-result of the analysis of aggregate data an integral part of the workflow of existing routines, such as existing radiation dose policies and procedures, quality assurance (QA) initiatives in support of the principle of optimization, the concept of ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable), and protocol establishment and review.
