The use of ionizing radiation diagnostic imaging procedures for children has rapidly increased globally over recent decades. This is especially true for CT, and across all ages. Despite the fact that the clinical value of imaging involving the use of radiation for pediatric healthcare is unquestioned, this is often diluted when juxtaposed with children’s relative increased susceptibility to radiation, including the potential for cancer from low-level exposures, and parental and public perceptions of radiation.
Individual radiation risks are uncertain, and if they exist at all are at most quite small. Nevertheless, radiation protection in paediatric imaging is a public health issue due to the large population exposed. There is also manifest public awareness and concern with radiation in general, and this includes that used in medical imaging. This concern is often fuelled by unbalanced information in the lay press as well as through medical media. Moreover, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding about radiation use in medical imaging (i.e., what modalities use ionizing radiation), as well as what is known about risk.
Informed radiation risk communication has a key role to inform the appropriate risk-benefit dialogue in healthcare settings. The content as well as delivery are important in this regard.
Learning objectives
Understand need for conversations about radiation and risk
