Radiation is widely misused in medicine, UN agency warns

Radiation is frequently used inappropriately in the detection and treatment of disease, with as many as three in every 10 treatments being unnecessary, experts on the use of nuclear power in medicine have told a United Nations-organized workshop.

Experts from 40 countries who took part in last week’s workshop in Brussels, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), concluded that as reliance on technology is increasing and radiation doses are becoming higher, there are serious “knowledge deficits” among health professionals. They were told that the rate at which radiation is used unnecessarily is in the range of 30 per cent.

The participants agreed that there should be a new initiative to standardize a simpler approach to communicating radiation doses and risks among doctors. Radiation safety experts, manufacturers and IT specialists are already working together to develop a “smart card” designed to register how much radiation a person receives in the course of a lifetime.

The experts also noted that radiological diagnosis is a vital tool that has saved countless lives, allowing doctors to detect hidden diseases and to make more accurate diagnoses.

The three-day workshop was part of a global initiative the IAEA is undertaking with other international organizations to strengthen radiation protection of patients.