Radiation Safety of the Patients Investigated by Radiological Imaging Methods

Abstract

Imaging methods such as radiographies, computed tomographies or scintigraphies expose the patients to a cumulative effective dose of radiation that could often exceed the maximum allowed dose. A three months medical study in a Romanian hospital showed, despite the great concern of radiation exposure, the skyrocketing volume of imaging investigations with radiation risk that lack monitoring and tracking the cumulative radiation doses of the patients. In order to solve this problem, in this paper the authors propose an integrated system that ensures the radiation safety and security of the patients investigated by radiological imaging methods such as radiographies, computed tomographies or scintigraphies. The system uses state of the art technologies such as smart cards, digital signature and Public Key Infrastructure. The proposed system provides a couple of secure services like electronic patient record of radiological investigations, assistance in prescription of future radiological investigations based on the patient history, different reports and statistics and even the control access of persons to areas with risk of radiation exposure based on information stored on their smart cards.