Last update:
   28-Sep-2019
 

Arch Hellen Med, 37(5), September-October 2019, 623-634

ORIGINAL PAPER

The use of diagnostic reference levels as a quality assurance tool
in departments of computed tomography in Greek hospitals

M. Dousi,1,2 A. Varaklioti,2,3 M. Malliarou,2,4 P. Sarafis2,5
1Department of Computed Tomography, "Elpis" General Hospital, Athens,
2Department of Health Management, Hellenic Open University, Patra,
3Blood Transfusion Centre, "Laiko" General Hospital, Athens,
4Technical Educational Institute of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece,
5School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus

OBJECTIVE To assess the quality of Greek departments of computed tomography (CT) based on the diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for the three most common adult examinations.

METHOD Data were analyzed of the three most commonly performed adult CT examinations, head, chest, and abdomen/pelvis from 7 facilities in Greece. Data from 420 examinations provided mean values and 75th percentiles for CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) indices. The findings were compared with the DRLs from other countries.

RESULTS Seven participating public hospitals (4 general hospitals, two oncology centres, and one university teaching hospital) were investigated, which numbered a total of 3,855 beds and had multi-slice CTs, ranging from 2 to 128 slices. The examination of abdomen/ pelvis showed the largest difference between the minimum and maximum average doses, of 312% in the CTDIvol index and 296% in the DLP index. In the chest examination a difference was recorded of 163% for the CTDIvol index and 166% for the DLP index, and in the head examination a 127% difference for the CTDIvol index and 157% for the DLP index. The calculation of the 75th percentiles showed that the results obtained from the CT examinations are within the DRLs values, but large deviations were observed even in the same type of CT scanner (128 slices), especially in the abdomen/pelvis and head examinations.

CONCLUSIONS Based on these DRLs for the three most common CT examinations, dose variations between different departments with similar CT scanners show great potential for optimization.

Key words: Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs), Optimization, Quality assurance, Radiation.

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