With representatives from the international imaging community, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has announced that it has formed a committee with representatives from the international imaging community and new education modules for 2021 that are dedicated to helping healthcare providers adhere to the most recent recommendations for patient safety in X-ray imaging.

These AAPM initiatives stem from a new recommendation by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) – the discontinuation of placing leaded shields over patient gonads during X-ray imaging exams. This is a major shift in how X-ray exams are performed, changing a long-standing practice after research has shown that using these shields can compromise the diagnostic efficacy of the exam or actually result in an increase in the patient’s radiation dose, while providing minimal to nonexistent benefits.

AAPM’s Communicating Advances in Radiation Education for Shielding (CARES) committee provides information centered on these recommendations, helping X-ray imaging stakeholders to identify potential implementation challenges and develop practical solutions. The CARES committee will also release six continuing education modules this year that will be made freely available to the imaging community.

Learn more in the AAPM press release.