The Section assists Member States with the safe and effective use of radiation medicine. It promotes quality assurance and quality improvement practices in radiation oncology and imaging, supports the establishment of best practices in clinical medical physics and helps achieve worldwide coherence in radiation dosimetry.
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Dosimetry and Medical Radiation Physics Section
The focus of the Section’s activities is on clinical medical physics. It works on standardizing and harmonizing radiation dosimetry globally and provides, through its Dosimetry Laboratory, a variety of dosimetry services. The Section also supports education and training of clinical medical physicists and of staff working in dosimetry standards laboratories.
Supporting national quality assurance programmes
To help IAEA Member States achieve and maintain quality in the use of radiation for diagnosis and therapy, the Section supports the establishment and implementation of quality assurance programmes in radiation medicine at institutional and national levels. It issues internationally harmonized guidelines, best practice recommendations and guidelines on comprehensive audits in every area of medical radiation physics.
Standardizing and harmonizing radiation dosimetry
Accurate dosimetry is essential for the safe and effective use of nuclear technology, especially in the medical field. The Section maintains the IAEA’s Dosimetry Laboratory in Seibersdorf, which plays a major role in achieving consistency in radiation dosimetry across the world. The Laboratory offers different services to the IAEA Member States:
- Dosimetry standards calibrations, comparisons and audits to set international high standards; and
- Dosimetry audits for radiotherapy clinics to verify that the patient dose is right.
The Section also develops international codes of practice for dosimetry in radiotherapy and diagnostic radiology, as well as best practice recommendations for the application of radiation medicine.
Supporting education and training
The continuous professional development and training of medical physicists working in medical imaging and radiation oncology is vital to ensure the safe and effective use of radiation in medicine. To achieve this, the Section develops training material, clinical training guides and online resources. It also regularly organizes training courses and workshops on medical physics.
