VIENNA – 7 March 2014 – Today, COCIR welcomes the EuroSafe Imaging campaign launch, whose main objective is patient and healthcare worker safety. A European Society of Radiology (ESR) initiative, the launch is taking place at the 2014 European Congress of Radiology (ECR) with a poster exhibition and a new dedicated website.
The EuroSafe Imaging campaign promotes appropriateness in radiological imaging, maintaining radiation doses within diagnostic reference levels and using the ‘as low as reasonably achievable’ principle to further reduce doses while maintaining the image quality needed for clinical purposes.
Innovative technologies are crucial for improving clinical outcomes. Ionising radiation is, and will continue to be, an essential tool at all stages of patient care, from screening and early diagnosis to the treatment of disease. The safety of patients and healthcare workers is of paramount importance to COCIR members. Since February 2010, COCIR has collaborated with the Heads of European Radiation Competent Authorities (HERCA) on a reduction in CT radiation dose while having optimal image quality. COCIR also issued a voluntary commitment on dose awareness and reduction.
Nicole Denjoy, COCIR Secretary General, says: “COCIR welcomes the effort to harmonise European Union regulatory framework on radiation protection. We encourage healthcare providers to prioritise dose reduction and dose optimisation when replacing ageing equipment or planning new investment”.
Through the four Es approach (Endorse, Explain, Enhance, Educate) COCIR is raising awareness and promoting training and education for healthcare professionals. Together with EuroSafe’s key players, COCIR is committed to protecting patients from unnecessary exposure to radiation.
ESR has created a EuroSafe Steering Committee to monitor this initiative, and COCIR is a member. The COCIR poster demonstrating industry contribution to radiation protection is available at http://www.eurosafeimaging.org/
For more information, contact:
Nicole Denjoy
COCIR Secretary General
Tel: +32 (0)2 706 8961
denjoy@cocir.org
Kathryn Sheridan
COCIR Communications Advisor
Tel: +32 (0)496 116198 press@cocir.org
Under Related Documents (section hereafter), please find links to the COCIR paper articulating industry involvement and to the COCIR poster displayed at the ECR 2014 exhibition and published in the EuroSafe Campaign website.