Web site educates patients about radiation dose

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
July 2, 2009

Radiology residents from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have created a Web site for patients to calculate and record the radiation doses of common diagnostic imaging procedures.

The site, X-RayRisk.com, provides radiation dose estimates of 52 common radiographic, CT, nuclear medicine, fluoroscopic, and interventional procedures based on gender and age.

Users can create an online personal account to record the types of procedures they have had, and the cumulative risk of getting cancer from these procedures. The Web site includes simple answers to frequently asked questions and encourages users to contact a radiologist if they have questions.

The goal of the site is to provide information about the risks of cancer induction as a result of medical imaging to facilitate well-informed patient/physician discussions.

Dr. Michael Hanley, Dr. Jay Koonce, and Dr. Marques Bradshaw developed the Web site in response to what they believe is "inflammatory" media coverage on radiation dose, according to a commentary published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (Vol. 6:7, pp. 475-476). They believe that it is radiologists' responsibility to provide patients and healthcare practitioners with easily accessible, accurate, and current information.

The Web site was launched in February 2009. Approximately 3,000 visits are made each month from 70 countries around the globe, according to Hanley. Approximately 100 users have registered to save their profiles.

The developers plan to expand the site to provide more information about pediatric imaging. They also are considering creating a means for radiation oncology patients to enter their specific treatment doses into their profiles.

The site uses radiation dose exposure estimates obtained from frequently referenced articles published in peer-review publications such as the Lancet and Radiology, and from the U.S. National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.