Quality control program for radiodiagnostic equipments on the Department of Antioquia, Colombia

The Health Sectional Direction of Antioquia DSSA and the National University of Colombia campus Medellin have been formalizing inter-administrative agreements to realize Quality Control Studies on the institutions of medical radiodiagnostics of the department. In the first phase of the project on 2006, quality control studies were completed on 40 conventional and 31 mammography equipments, in the second phase by the end of 2006, 21 fluoroscopy, interventionism and C arms equipments were also studied; the third phase, finished by the end of 2007, counted with 50 conventional equipments. The tests proposed on the ARCAL XLIX IAEA protocol, tests on the installations, on the generator, on the image systems and the patient dosimetry were performed. From the evaluations on the installations, reports with relevant recommendations to be considerate and implemented to perform a better use of own resources on each institution were elaborated. On this paper, current results, impact on the participating institutions and the benefits from the applications that these kinds of practices bring to the institutions are presented. Finally, the necessity to advance towards clear politics in order to impulse the implementation of quality assurance programs in radiodiagnostic institutions, looking to improve the quality of diagnostic images with patient benefits, higher trust on technical conditions of equipments for a better and adequate diagnose, as well as to advance on processes seeking the optimization of radiological protection on the patient and the personnel occupationally exposed, is presented. (author)