The use of medical imaging using ionizing radiation for diagnosis is rapidly and continuously increasing.
Therefore, the exposure level of the population to ionizing radiation of medical origin has risen during the last 3 decades by at least fivefold.
Given this context, the project implements at the CIUSSS in Estrie-CHUS a program of continuous monitoring of doses to patients and of technical parameters used to perform ionizing examinations. As such, the project will set up a continuous process for the optimization of examinations protocols and practices and for the improvement of the appropriateness of these exams to minimize delivered doses to patients.
Moreover, this project will foster the development of the expertise required in the continuous monitoring of delivered doses to patients to mainly guide and support the healthcare network in implementing similar projects with the aims to ensure the attainment of objectives and the control of costs.
The final objective of this proposal is to advance research projects on patient radioprotection and radiobiology by sharing patient dose data with researchers at the Centre de recherche de CHUS.
At the current stage of implementation, the NexoDose dose data collection software has been configured and the 8 CT scanners plus 2 fluoroscopy systems of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS transmit dose data to the NexoDose server. Furthermore, the process of generating, sending and analyzing alerts on patients who have received too high doses compared to praxis is under assessment.