The IAEA has now introduced a Russian language version of its popular online course on computed tomography (CT), designed to educate health care professionals on managing radiation doses to patients. Since its introduction two years ago, more than 2800 health care staff have completed the course and the availability of the Russian version will enable more professionals to increase their knowledge and expertise in this specialized field.
“Computed tomography is an incredibly useful diagnostic tool that helps medical professionals effectively diagnose and manage diseases,” said Jenia Vassileva, IAEA Radiation Protection Specialist.
According to UNSCEAR, CT scans make the largest contribution to the overall collective radiation dose from medical exposures to the global population. “This makes it critical that CT procedures are only performed when justified and when radiation protection is optimized,” Vassileva said, adding that “A CT scan must use the right radiation dose to produce required diagnostic results and no more or less.”
This course provides guidance to help health professionals to acquire a better understanding on how to manage and use radiation dose and image quality in different clinical situations.
The five-hour course was developed as part of an IAEA regional technical cooperation project to enhance Member States' capabilities to ensure the radiation protection of individuals undergoing medical exposure. Technical cooperation is the IAEA’s primary mechanism for transferring nuclear technology to its Member States, and helps them to address key development priorities in areas such as health and safety.
The course consists of 11 modules covering the appropriate use of CT, various methods to optimize scanning protocols by selecting suitable scan parameters for different body regions, and the monitoring of patient dose data. The course has specific modules on how to optimize the radiation dose delivered to children and pregnant patients. Students who pass the final course examination receive an online certificate of completion.
In addition to the Russian version, English and Spanish online versions are also available. "It is very important to have this practically oriented online course in the native language,” said Roberto Sanchez Casanueva, medical physicist from the San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, who took the Spanish version of the course earlier this year. “The approach of offering the course in a mother tongue helps reach a much wider pool of imaging professionals."
The course is a key component of the IAEA’s mission to strengthen radiation protection of patients in medical radiation procedures. The CT course, along with two other online courses – one on safety and quality in radiotherapy and one on radiation protection in radiography, have been utilized by more than 8000 online learners. Additionally, more than 10 000 health professionals have registered for the live streams of a series of IAEA webinars on radiation protection in medicine.
To take the course, please register here.
