Dose Notifications and Alerts
- It is now required that new CT scanners display CT Dose Notifications and Alerts. The notifications and alerts trigger a message to appear on the scanner when the exam will exceed pre-determined radiation dose.
- When the notification message appears, the technologist has the option to enter a reason why the exam is exceeding the pre-determined radiation dose (e.g. large patient body habitus).
- When the alert message appears, it is mandatory that a reason is given for why this exam will exceed the dose limit.
- The intent behind the notification and alert system is to ensure that each patient is receiving the minimum amount of radiation dose possible. The message that appears on the scanner serves as a reminder to the technologist to ensure that each patient radiation dose is optimized.