More Than 900 Imaging Providers Pledge to “Image Gently”

Since the Jan. 22 launch of the “Image Gently” campaign (www.imagegently.org), more than 900 imaging providers, representing more than 600 facilities nationwide, have taken the Image Gently pledge to reduce the radiation dose estimate used in the performance of computed tomography (CT) scans on children.

The ACR and Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging launched the “Image Gently” campaign to reinforce that children are more sensitive to radiation than adults, and cumulative radiation exposure to their growing bodies could, over time, have adverse effects. The Alliance urges providers to visit the Image Gently Web site and pledge to:

§          Significantly reduce, or “child-size,” the amount of radiation used

§          Not over-scan:

- Scan only when necessary

- Scan only the indicated region

- Scan once; multi-phase scanning (pre-and post-contrast, delayed exams) is rarely helpful

§          Be a team player:

- Involve medical physicists to monitor pediatric CT techniques 

- Involve technologists to optimize scanning

Since the launch of this campaign and the Image Gently site has received approximately 39,000 visits. More than 4,300 providers have downloaded the helpful protocols which aid physicians and facilities determine the appropriate radiation techniques to use in the imaging of children.

Click here to visit the Image Gently Web site today and pledge to do your part to “child-size” the radiation dose used in children’s imaging.