Training courses for radiological technicians: radiation protection of the patient and control of image quality

Full text: As in other countries, life expectancy is increasing in Brazil, and the number of radiological examinations tends to increase. Old equipment and high technology ones cohabit, radiology technicians are not well prepared to conduct practices, images and doses to patients are not optimized. Digital techniques that began to be introduced in the last years are also an important issue, because, as it is possible to modify the image digitally, there is less concern about the choice of equipment parameters that produce the best-image/lowest-dose compromise. Pediatric radiology, CT and fluoroscopy require attention too, as they are of dosimetric interest or because the patient ages imply higher risks or because the techniques deliver higher doses than the conventional ones. In our opinion, the most important role that we can play is educating and forming people to work in this area: training programs and refreshing courses are a way of facing the problem. This way, we are organizing, in a technical cooperation with IAEA, two training courses in quality assurance and radiation protection in radiology, one designed to physicists (60 h), and the radiological technicians (40 h). An important cooperation with a paediatric and a general hospital made it possible to offer courses with 50% practical lessons, performed both in the University and in hospital equipment. Both courses cover a basic Radiation Physics program, radiation protection, image formation and quality control in conventional and digital equipment, and patient dosimetry. Equipment donated by IAEA facilitate the practical QA and dosimetry lessons. The rationale of our project is making it sustainable through the formation of physicists that will go on in the education process of technicians in technical schools. We present the results of the first two courses (physicists and technicians), considering the selection process, the development of the activities, and the assessment both of the students enrolled and of the courses. (author)