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Home | Current Program | PAC 4PAC 4: Radiation Protection in MedicineProgram Area Committee (PAC) 4 provides oversight of activities in the field of radiation protection in medicine. Functioning within the scope of PAC 4 are two report-writing committees: SC 4-3, Diagnostic Reference Levels in Medical Imaging: Recommendations for Application in the United States; and SC 4-4 on Risks of Ionizing Radiation to the Developing Embryo, Fetus and Nursing Infant. Currently authorized but unfunded activities within this program area are:
NCRP is currently planning to conduct a workshop and prepare a consensus paper in 2009 on appropriateness of applications of computed tomography (CT) in emergency departments. This activity will be cosponsored by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Radiology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Landauer, Inc., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. One of the most rapidly growing applications of CT has been in emergency department settings, both for analyzing traumatic injuries and for documenting the appropriateness of releasing patients. In view of the large number of these CT procedures, it is of growing importance to analyze their value in the context of ionizing radiation doses received by the patients. The goal of the NCRP activity on this subject is to evaluate the uses of CT in emergency department settings, and to establish consensus guidelines based on a paper to be prepared by experts in emergency medicine, general diagnostic radiology, and medical physics. A WebEx teleconference was held on February 25, 2009 involving representatives of the cosponsoring organizations. The teleconference was moderated by Otha Linton, Executive Director of the International Society of Radiology. Discussion during the teleconference resulted in an agenda and list of candidate speakers at the workshop, which was held in Bethesda, Maryland on September 23-24, 2009. Preparation of a summary of the workshop was completed during the first quarter of 2010. The workshop summary was accepted for publication in the Journal of the American College of Radiology in June 2010. The authors are Otha Linton, Thomas S. Tenforde, E. Stephen Amis, and Paul R. Sierzenski. The recommendations from the workshop, as summarized in the paper, formed the foundation for preparation of a consensus paper on clinical guidance for appropriate applications of CT in emergency medicine. A drafting team comprised of emergency medicine physicians, radiologists, and medical physicists met at the NCRP offices on December 14-15, 2010 to draft major sections of the consensus paper. Compilation of the paper will be carried out by NCRP. After approval by the cosponsoring organizations, the paper will be submitted for publication in emergency medicine and radiology journals. The membership of PAC 4 is:
SC 4-4 Risks of Ionizing Radiation to the Developing Embryo,
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