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À propos
Canada Safe Imaging (CSI) was formed in 2015 to address the need for a national strategy and action plan in Canada, to strengthen medical radiation protection in patients and foster a culture of radiation safety in healthcare in Canada.
CSI represents a collaborative undertaking between government agencies, professional associations, universities, colleges, national research institutions and hospitals. Within each sector, a multi-disciplinary approach has also been adopted, involving partners, researchers, technologists, medical and health physicists and other health care providers using or prescribing the use of radiation.
Canada Safety Imaging is part of a network of radiation safety campaigns worldwide under the auspices of the International Society of Radiology.
Mission
To provide Canadian contextualized guidelines and tools for patient radiation safety.
Responsibilities
- Promote knowledge translation and adoption of and adherence to good radiation safety practices and standards as they relate to the Canadian medical environment;
- Undertake future potential strategies and initiatives to enhance medical imaging radiation safety and care;
- Shape and promote a strategic research agenda for radiation protection of patients in Canada
Context
Today’s medical imaging technologies provide unprecedented visibility into the body. As medical imaging technologies and techniques continue to evolve rapidly so has their utilization and subsequent exposure of patients to ionizing radiation.
Even if the technology has significantly improved and doses of radiation have decreased, the risk of exposure did not disappear and needs to be taken into consideration when tests using ionizing radiations are prescribed. As many things we take for granted, we don’t see any more the risks attached to the technology as it becomes part of our life. But there is a need to remain vigilant, raise awareness and educate healthcare professionals and population at large about the risks and benefits of ionizing radiations in medicine.
In 2012 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched an initiative that was supported by 77 countries and 16 organizations, titled the “Bonn Call For Action,” which outlines ten major strategies for promoting radiation protection. In response, a new campaign was formed, which brings together many stakeholders to strengthen medical radiation protection across Canada following an inclusive approach. The delivery of health care is a provincial responsibility but a focused national strategy and a unified effort is needed to ensure radiation safety in medical imaging for all Canadians.
Canada Safe Imaging (CSI) was formed to address this need for a national strategy and action plan as it relates to radiation safety for medical imaging care in Canada.
In December 2017, the IAEA, in partnership with the WHO and the Pan-American Health Organization, hosted the International Conference on Radiation Protection in Medicine: Achieving Change in Practice in Vienna, Austria. The goal of this conference was to provide an overview of the actions and developments since the 2012 Bonn conference.
