Development of Quality Criteria within the Fourth Framework Research Programme: Paediatric Patient

Abstract

European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images in Paediatrics were published at the end of the 3rd Framework Programme. It was appropriate that these quality criteria should initially be developed for simple radiographic examinations but there has been growing interest in higher dose fluoroscopic and CT examinations where the radiation risks are appreciable, particularly for children, and where optimisation of protection is paramount. Developments in the 4th Framework Programme have therefore concentrated on extending the quality criteria guidelines to a selection of common fluoroscopic and CT examinations on children. To improve the scientific basis for the criteria on image quality and patient dose in these guidelines, studies have been made of the correlation between objective and subjective assessments of image quality, and dose criteria have been developed which take account of patient size. This paper provides an overview of these studies and of the resulting draft guidelines for paediatric fluoroscopy and CT which have been prepared under EC Contract F14P-CT95-002.