Search

European Directive 2013/59/EURATOM requires the establishment and use of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for diagnostic and interventional procedures. The purpose of this study was to establish local DRLs for a major tertiary public hospital. As the hospital is the only such hospital in Malta, the same data collected for setting local DRLs can also be used for setting national DRLs, making local DRLs de facto national DRLs. A retrospective survey of cumulative kerma-area product (KAP) and fluoroscopy time data from the cardiac catheterisation laboratory and interventional radiology suites was carried out. The effect of system upgrades on cumulative KAP was also assessed. Local DRLs were set for common cardiology and interventional radiology procedures. All DRLs compare favourably with those in European literature. A Philips Allura Clarity upgrade to the cardiac catheterisation laboratories led to significant reductions in cumulative KAP (p ≪  0.05) for most procedures., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: MRI is highly physics based yet no research-based inventory of physics learning outcomes specific to MRI radiographers was found in the literature. The purpose of this study was the development of such an inventory using a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary approach (as advised by the WHO) and which would support a previously published competence profile., Methods: The inventory was developed in two phases: Phase 1: Development of an initial version of the learning outcomes inventory required to be able to deliver the competences via an analysis of textbooks and literature and validated by a small (n = 3) expert advisory group Phase 2: Final validation carried out via a bigger (n = 15) international group of subject matter experts (SMEs). Consensus was achieved via a dichotomous web-based questionnaire., Results: At 70% level of consensus the expert group validated an inventory of biomedical physics learning outcomes consisting of 281 knowledge and skill statements. It is subdivided into two sections: 'fundamental' physics learning outcomes which are generic to all competences and 'additional' physics learning outcomes specific to each individual competence., Conclusion: The process used is sufficiently generic to be easily adapted to the development of physics learning outcome inventories in other specialties of radiography and for other healthcare professions whose work involves highly technological medical devices. As a result of this study, the current MRI curriculum would need to be revised as it was not based on a formal systematic research process and many learning outcomes are in fact missing., (Copyright © 2019 The College of Radiographers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)