In November 2023, LMIFB has started the project Development of Latvian Diagnostic Reference Levels in Radiography and Computed Tomography for Paediatrics and Nuclear Medicine (project registration No 1-08/81/2023)

https://lvafa.vraa.gov.lv/projects/1-08_81_2023

Project implementation time – 30.09.2024.

Project Cooperation Authority - State Environmental Service

Project description:

In order to keep patient doses from diagnostic examinations as low as possible, each healthcare facility needs to carry out regular dose analyses and compare patient doses with reference levels. Currently, reference levels in diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine have been partially developed in Latvia. These reference levels are available in Cabinet Regulation No 482 "Regulations on protection against ionising radiation in medical exposure" and in Radiation Safety Centre Guideline No 6 "Reference diagnostic levels for radiological procedures". The existing reference levels are not available for all standard procedures, in particular for paediatric patients and nuclear medicine examinations, and regular updating of the reference levels is necessary, as new technologies and new types of examinations are continuously being introduced into clinical practice, so that the existing reference levels need to be regularly reviewed to ensure that they are in line with current clinical practice and that healthcare facilities have reference levels against which to compare the radiation doses received by patients.

The aim of the project is to develop national benchmarks in radiography and computed tomography for paediatric patients and in diagnostic nuclear medicine for all patients. To produce a summary of patient doses received in 2023 for paediatric radiography and computed tomography and patient doses (MBq) received in diagnostic nuclear medicine and to update the National Environmental Service Radiation Safety Centre Guideline No 6 "Diagnostic reference levels for radiological procedures" to include the new reference levels.

EN