Image Wisely™ Initiative to Optimize Radiation Dose Used in Adult Medical Imaging Reaches 2,000 Pledge Milestone

Washington, DC - January 13, 2011 — More than 2,000 medical imaging providers have already taken the Image Wisely™ pledge to optimize radiation dose used in performing medical imaging on adult patients.

"The tremendous early response to the Image Wisely campaign demonstrates the positive impact of collaborative efforts among radiological societies,” said John A. Patti, MD, FACR, Chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors. “Our patients can be secure in the knowledge that the entire imaging team: radiologists, medical physicists, and technologists are working together to ensure radiation safety and continued high quality care. I urge all radiologists to discuss the initiative with their colleagues, urge them to visit the Image Wisely site, and to take the pledge themselves."

Image Wisely™ ( www.imagewisely.org ), a collaborative initiative of the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), aims to optimize radiation dose used in adult medical imaging and ensure that patients receive only necessary scans.


“As a charter member of the Image Wisely campaign, we at the RSNA are extremely pleased to see the continued enthusiastic response to the initiative and the commitment to patient safety indicated by reaching this milestone of 2,000 pledges,” said George S. Bisset III, MD, president-elect of the RSNA Board of Directors.

The Image Wisely initiative was launched Nov. 29, 2010, during a special radiation safety session at the RSNA annual meeting in Chicago, IL. By taking the pledge to Image Wisely, imaging providers wish to optimize the use of radiation in imaging patients and thereby pledge:

To put their patient's safety, health, and welfare first by optimizing imaging examinations to use only the radiation necessary to produce diagnostic quality images;

To convey the principles of the Image Wisely program to their imaging team in order to ensure that my facility optimizes its use of radiation when imaging patients;

To communicate optimal patient imaging strategies to referring physicians, and to be available for consultation;

To routinely review imaging protocols to ensure that the least radiation necessary to acquire a diagnostic quality image is used for each examination.

“It is most important that physicians have a firm understanding of the physics and technology of CT to enable them to judiciously select imaging parameters to eliminate unnecessary radiation to patients. It is also vital that all imaging providers: physicians, medical physicists, and technologists work together to provide quality patient care. The Image Wisely initiative and the tremendous response of the radiology community is a very positive sign,” said Michael Herman, Ph.D., president of the AAPM.

Image Wisely pledge takers are encouraged to visit the www.imagewisely.org website where they can review computed tomography (CT) protocols and CT dose reduction methods. The Image Wisely campaign is initially focused on computed tomography (CT) scans. There were approximately 87 million CT scans performed in 2009 as rapidly evolving CT technology replaced more invasive and often more costly techniques.


“Radiologic technologists are the final link in the chain of exposure as they actually perform CT scans,” said James Temme, MPA, RT(R)(QM), ASRT president. “The Image Wisely campaign provides a powerful forum for the ASRT to communicate to its members the importance of applying the correct protocol for size and body type of the patient. The tremendous response to the initiative demonstrates the commitment that technologists and other imaging providers have to their patients and their profession.”

Pledge takers are also encouraged to send their patients to the website where they can learn about radiology benefits and risks and download their own medical imaging record card, co-developed by Image Wisely and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since the launch, there has been an increasing amount of visitors to the site each day.

The four charter members of Image Wisely – the ACR, RSNA, ASRT and AAPM – represent radiologic technologists and medical physicists who play key roles in medical imaging.

For more information or to interview an Image Wisely spokesperson, contact any of the following:


Shawn Farley
703-648-8936
sfarley@acr-arrs.org

Maureen Morley
630-590-7754
mmorley@rsna.org

Ceela McElveny
800-444-2778, Ext. 1239
cmcelveny@asrt.org