Joint ICTP-IAEA Training Course on Quality Assurance, Quality Control and Optimization of Equipment and Procedures Used in Fluoroscopically-Guided Interventional Radiology
(Co-sponsored by IAEA, IOMP, AAPM, EFOMP)
Medical imaging plays a pivotal role in accurate disease diagnosis and improved treatment of the patient and has proven to be invaluable to the whole process. Its use is vital at all levels of health care, in preventive medicine, curative and palliative care. Specifically in fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures, modern X ray angiography systems are equipped with numerous protocols and tools for comprehensive clinical evaluation of the patient problem and can be used for treatment without long hospitalization periods.
Unfortunately, the education and training of medical physicists on quality assurance, dosimetry and particularly on optimization of procedures with the use of modern angiography systems is limited. Furthermore, existing training programs are often outdated and irrelevant to the requirements of modern imaging. It is vital to widen the scope of quality assurance and dosimetry to meet these needs. This is particularly important in less resourced countries where the presence of well trained medical physicists is lacking, jeopardizing the safety and quality of the clinical process as well as patient outcome. The focused training of these professionals to meet the high demands of the systems and related clinical needs will help them take an active high level role in the relevant medical departments.