Radiation Dosimetry: Where Do We Stand and Where Do We Go from Here?

Abstract

Radiation dosimetry is an important discipline in most areas of Radiation Medicine (radiotherapy, radiodiagnostics and nuclear medicine) and in Radiation Protection. In the extremes is, on the one hand, radiotherapy where modern dose escalation requires optimization of the dose delivered so that the highest levels can be achieved with minimum complications and morbidity, in consistency with what some call AHARA: as high as reasonably achievable. The other extreme is radiodiagnostics, where again there is a need for optimizing patient dose delivery to the lowest level which allows a clinically useful image: the old concept of ALARA. These optimization processes, intrinsic to the clinical procedure, form part of the quality management process which establishes standards of good practice and includes protecting patients by “doing the right thing”.