Today’s medical imaging technologies provide unprecedented visibility into the body. As medical imaging technologies and techniques continue to evolve rapidly so has their utilization and subsequent exposure of patients to ionizing radiation.
In 2012 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an initiative that was supported by 77 countries and 16 organizations, titled the “Bonn Call For Action,” which outlines ten major strategies for promoting radiation protection. In response, a new campaign has been formed, which brings together many stakeholders to strengthen medical radiation protection across Canada following an inclusive approach. The delivery of health care is a provincial responsibility but a focused national strategy and a unified effort is needed to ensure radiation safety in medical imaging for all Canadians.
A Canada Safe Imaging has been formed to address this need for a national strategy and action plan as it relates to radiation safety for medical imaging care in Canada.