The workshop, which was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from the 5th to 9th of December, 2016, was organized as part of the IAEA Technical Cooperation regional project, RAS9079, aiming at strengthening technical capabilities in Asia and the Pacific Region for medical radiation protection in compliance with the requirements of the new International Basic Safety Standards.
The workshop focused on building awareness on the issues with unnecessary diagnostic imaging and measures to strengthen justification as well as improving radiation protection of patients, particularly related to appropriateness criteria and imaging decision support systems and means to incorporate these into routine clinical care. Discussions covered open-access appropriateness criteria which could be adopted, adapted and implemented. Participants ‘tailored’ their approach and the implementation of possible solutions, to their country’s resources.
The regional workshop was attended by 33 participants from 16 countries in the Asia and the Pacific region, mainly radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians, medical physicists, radiographers and representatives of regulatory bodies. It was supported by the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation, Asia and the Pacific Division and Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety; the WHO and the Government of Nepal.
