Health protection – collection

Medical radiation: uses, dose measurements and safety advice

The use of ionising radiation in medicine, including recommended dose measurements and guidance on safe radiology practice.

Contents

  1. Medical radiation: risks and safety advice
  2. Diagnostic radiology
  3. Nuclear medicine
  4. Radiotherapy

Ionising radiation is used in medicine in 3 ways:

  • diagnostic radiology, which uses x-ray machines to obtain images of the inside of the patient’s body
  • nuclear medicine, which uses radioactive substances introduced into the patient for diagnosis or treatment
  • radiotherapy, which uses many types and sources of ionising radiation to cure or relieve symptoms of cancer and other diseases

These 3 areas are covered by the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000, which provide a framework to protect patients.

Medical radiation: risks and safety advice

  1. Ionising radiation from medical imaging examinations: safety advice

    • 1 August 2014
    • Guidance

  2. Medical radiation: patient doses

    • 4 September 2008
    • Guidance

  3. Medical x-rays: radiation risks by age and sex of patient

    • 1 October 2011
    • Research and analysis

Diagnostic radiology

  1. Doses from computed tomography (CT) examinations in the UK

    • 1 September 2014
    • Research and analysis

  2. Diagnostic radiology: national protocol for patient dose measurements

    • 14 November 1992
    • Guidance

  3. Diagnostic radiology: recommended national reference doses

    • 9 September 2009
    • Guidance

  4. Radiographic and fluoroscopic x-rays: patient doses

    • 1 June 2012
    • Research and analysis

  5. Medical and dental x-rays: frequency and collective doses in the UK

    • 1 December 2010
    • Research and analysis

  6. Dental practitioners: safe use of x-ray equipment

    • 14 November 2013
    • Guidance

  7. Dental cone beam computed tomography: safe usage

    • 1 November 2010
    • Research and analysis

  8. Computed tomography (CT): doses from examinations

    • 1 March 2005
    • Research and analysis

  9. Computed tomography (CT): data analysis software to assess radiation doses

    • 1 January 2014
    • Guidance

Nuclear medicine

There’s a dedicated committee, Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC), to advise the government on nuclear medicine.

  1. ARSAC Notes for Guidance: good clinical practice in nuclear medicine

    • 17 April 2014
    • Guidance

Radiotherapy

  1. Safer radiotherapy: quarterly radiotherapy error analysis

    • 5 February 2015
    • Research and analysis

  2. Radiotherapy: good practice in error reporting

    • 1 August 2010
    • Guidance

  3. Radiotherapy errors and near misses: biennial report

    • 28 November 2014
    • Research and analysis

  4. Safer radiotherapy: supplementary survey analysis

    • 23 December 2014
    • Research and analysis
Published:
1 August 2014
Updated:
23 December 2014

+ full page history

23 December 2014 4:41pm
The 'Safer radiotherapy: supplementary survey analysis' has been added under 'Radiotherapy'.
1 September 2014 10:38am
The 'Doses from computed tomography (CT) examinations in the UK report' has been uploaded.
1 August 2014 1:00am
First published.
From:
Public Health England