ABSTRACT
Soon after the discovery of x-rays, their use in diagnostic medical imaging was realized and continues to evolve today. It is also well understood that the radiation doses associated with those imaging procedures should be optimized for the diagnostic clinical task. One means of tracking the doses from diagnostic x-ray exams and procedures is to periodically survey the practicing community for data that can permit statistical analyses of the x-ray practice. While patient dose is seldom measured directly, a number of methods can be employed to collect data sufficient to infer patient doses, including effective dose, an exam-independent dose parameter that expresses overall radiation risk. This chapter presents an overview of past and ongoing survey activities, and discusses some methodologies for particular x-ray imaging modalities.
