Radiation dose monitoring software for medical imaging with ionising radiation

The technologies described in this briefing are 8 radiation dose monitoring software technologies that automatically gather and analyse information on patients' exposure to ionising radiation from medical imaging and X‑ray-guided procedures.

The innovative aspects are that dose-related data from medical imaging with ionising radiation can be systematically collected, monitored and analysed in a largely automated way. The technologies are designed to improve image quality while minimising radiation exposure to the patient.

The intended use would be instead of manual radiation dose data collection for people having medical imaging with ionising radiation.

The key points from the evidence summarised in this briefing are from 10 studies investigating 3 of the included technologies. Most of the evidence comes from retrospective observational studies, 4 of which are available as conference abstracts only. The software ranges in technical features, allowing for various ways to acquire and analyse data from different kinds of imaging.

Key uncertainties are that published evidence is only available for 3 of the included technologies. None of the studies were comparative.

The cost of the technologies ranges from no cost to £20,000 per year, depending on local requirements. Some companies also charge a fee per modality price that varies according to patient numbers, whereas some offer the software as free and open source. With adequate resource input and time to implement the technologies, the resource impact may be faster and more detailed audits of radiation exposure data compared with standard manual audits.