Children's Memorial joins nationwide Image Gently education campaign to reduce radiation doses in children
October 28, 2009 - Children's Memorial Hospital, which leads the country in best practices when it comes to medical imaging in children, has joined a nationwide initiative of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging called Image Gently. The Image Gently campaign, a coalition of health care organizations dedicated to providing safe, high quality pediatric imaging worldwide, was created to increase awareness in the medical imaging community on how children should receive lower doses of radiation than adults. The Society for Pediatric Radiology which includes faculty staff from Children's Memorial, is a member of this coalition as well as 33 other societies.
“Children are much more sensitive to radiation and are not just smaller adults. Their bodies are different and require a different approach to imaging,” said James Donaldson, MD, head of the Department of Medical Imaging at Children's Memorial Hospital. “Children come to our department and their outside facility CT scans show that they were given high doses of radiation when they needed half that amount. It is our job to educate the medical community that in this case, less is better. The Image Gently campaign is a way for us to work with different physician groups and let them know that we use ‘child size’ techniques to reduce unnecessary exposure to radiation.” More here from Dr. Donaldson on how our hospital is minimizing radiation doses to children.
As the state's first and only pediatric hospital to offer 64-slice CT technology, Children's Memorial uses the latest technology to create high resolution images of any part of a patient's body in a matter of seconds. These advances in imaging technology reduce the patient's radiation dose by up to 68% without compromising image quality. The scanner can also capture pictures of the heart in 4-D (3-D plus heart motion). This allows physicians to make a diagnosis without having to perform invasive procedures such as a cardiac catheterization.
“We want to make sure that our parents are educated on what to ask their pediatrician or radiologist to ensure that their child is exposed to the smallest amount of radiation possible during an imaging study,” said Cynthia Rigsby, MD, Vice Chair and Chair of Body Imaging. “We can refer them to The Image Gently site which outlines alternatives to a CT scan such as ultrasound or MRI when possible.”
The Medical Imaging Department plans to incorporate the Image Gently philosophy into its marketing materials that go to referring physicians and community practices.
“The Image Gently campaign gives us the tools to take our message on the road,” said Donaldson. “We are able to educate all providers on why they need to use child size radiation doses and image gently.”
The Medical Imaging Department is accredited by the American College of Radiology for CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and ultrasound scans, and undergoes intense scrutiny by its national peers to ensure its equipment, personnel and standards offer patients the best possible care. It performs 109,000 procedures a year, including 9800 MRIs of which 80 percent are done on medically complex and/or sedated children.
Children's Memorial is one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. It is the pediatric teaching arm of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The American Nurses Association also recognized Children's Memorial as the first hospital in the state -- and the first pediatric hospital in the nation -- to receive its prestigious Nursing Excellence Magnet Award.
For more information, contact Julie Pesch at 773.880.3055.