Clinical trial NCT01405066: Radiation Dose Audit Reports to Reduce Radiation Exposure From CT Exams
Official title: CT Technologists Dose Audit Reports and Educational Seminar to Reduce Patient Radiation Exposure From Medical Imaging
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Decrease Variability and Amount of Radiation Dose From CT Exams
Keywords: Computed Tomography (CT)
Ionizing radiation
Advanced medical imaging
Radiation Dose Audit Reports
Lead sponsor: Kaiser Permanente
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of California, San Francisco
First posted: 2011-07-29
Enrollment: 19
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to quantify variation in radiation dose levels across CT technologists, and determine the effectiveness of combining radiation dose audit reports and an educational seminar as a means to reduce the variation and level of patient exposure to radiation.

The investigators expect the radiation dose audit reports and educational seminar will lead to reduced radiation exposure to patients by making technologists more aware of the risks of radiation exposure from CT exams and identifying technologists with higher radiation exams compared with their peers.

The investigators expect the degree to which a technologist is concerned and aware about radiation exposure and cancer risk will be associated with adherence to radiation reduction protocols and the subsequent level of radiation their patients are exposed to when receiving a CT examination.

Detailed description: The use of advanced diagnostic imaging has increased dramatically over the past decade, not only contributing to rising medical costs but also exposure to ionizing radiation, of which CT imaging plays a prominent role because it requires a relatively high dose of radiation to produce an image when compared to conventional X-rays. The growth in the use of CT imaging along with all other advanced medical imaging has been well documented, and taken as a whole the use of these services has grown quicker than all other services provided by physicians. Research has also shown great variability in the amount of radiation exposure to individual patients, even when patient and other characteristics are controlled for. Given the increase in the use of CT imaging and the variability in radiation exposure between similar imaging exams, it is important to study ways of standardizing and reducing radiation levels from CT imaging. Little is understood about the role of CT technologists' attitudes and how they may influence patient radiation exposure, therefore, this project also give us the opportunity to survey the technologists and determine if there is a relationship between technologist attitudes and awareness and the radiation exposure of patients.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Group Health CT Technologist from Capitol Hill, Tacoma and Bellevue Clinics

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Radiation dose levels (measured by dose linear product (DLP) and effective dose (ED)) from CT exams as a measure of the effectiveness of radiation dose audit reporting and educational intervention for lowering patient exposure to radiation from CT exams.
timeFrame: April 2011 and September 2011
Secondary outcomes:
measure: CT Tech technologists attitudes and awareness towards radiation exposure from CT imaging
timeFrame: April 2011 to September 2011
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Group Health Research Institute
name: Diana Miglioretti, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: