Irish X-ray departments demonstrate varying levels of adherence to European guidelines on good radiographic technique

The Commission of European Communities (CEC) publication "European Guidelines oil Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images" includes examples of good radiographic technique for a number of common X-ray examinations. If these guidelines are followed, compliance with dose and image quality criteria as specified in the CEC document should be demonstrated. Studies in England, Germany and Greece have shown that a number of X-ray departments are not using optimum techniques. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the level of adherence to CEC guidelines in Irish hospitals 3-4 years following publication of the above document. 16 hospitals were randomly chosen and the following details on technique and equipment were recorded for chest, abdomen, pelvis and lumbar spine examinations of standard sized patients: tube potential, focus-to-film distance, automatic exposure control (AEC), film-screen combination, X-ray tube filtration and secondary radiation grid. Varying levels of adherence to the guidelines were evident depending on the parameter being investigated, with no hospital demonstrating 100% compliance and no hospital demonstrating 100% non-compliance. For all parameters, with the exception of AEC use, the majority of hospitals exhibited non-adherence for at least one projection. The results suggest that if hospitals in Ireland observe the straightforward examples of good radiographic technique described in the CEC publication, significant reductions in collective dose can be achieved.