Image quality and radiation dose for traumatic patients at the emergency department

The primary task of computed tomography (CT) is to provide high-quality diagnostic image information about any process or anatomical detail within the patient's body. Providing the best possible diagnostic information while the dose the patient receives is kept to a minimum. This study aimed to evaluate the radiographic image quality and patient radiation dose in emergency departments at Saudi Ministry of Health hospitals in Riyadh based on the ACR guidelines and assess patient radiation doses, image quality, personnel qualifications, and patient safety measures. The data was collected from two emergency departments (general and specialist hospitals) equipped with digital x-ray systems. The study population consisted of 350 patients. Patient radiation dose was collected from the CT department equipped with 16 and 128 CT slices. The investigated procedures are skeletal radiology. Image quality was evaluated using specific clinical criteria based on the parameters criteria. Two radiologists will evaluate the images. The results showed that 80-93% of the images had high image quality and high diagnostic findings. The results showed that 7-20% of the images had poor image quality and low diagnostic values. The range of effective dose is from 6.0 to 13.2 mSv per procedure. The effective dose per procedure is higher compared to previously published studies and higher compared to routine CT for normal patients. The image quality results were above the acceptable range. Poor radiation safety and protection were reported by staff. (author)