CT Practice Monitoring

Computed tomography (CT) is a leading advanced imaging modality today. Its use, however, has raised concerns regarding utilization costs, appropriate applications, and the associated potential radiation risks. Programmatic radiation dose reporting software has emerged to monitor radiation exposure towards proper CT imaging. Proper imaging implies both radiation risk and clinical value: current CT practice is highly valuable in caring for illness and injury across all ages. Ensuring the benefit of CT examination requires a combined image quality and dose monitoring program. A poor-quality exam is a disservice to the care of the patient, while an exam with more radiation dose than necessary can undermine its safety. Therefore, proper CT imaging requires a combined image quality and dose monitoring program. Such a program is a required element of value-based practice in CT imaging, providing opportunities for improved individual decision-making as well as for assessing and addressing the aggregate aspects of CT imaging practice to ensure rigorous patient safety and consistent imaging quality. This in turn paves the way towards consistent and high-quality imaging care across the healthcare enterprise.