Transcript Slide 1

Radiation Safety Culture in
Health Care: Canadian
Perspective
Dave Wilkins, PhD, FCCPM
Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists
Ottawa, Canada
Regulatory Landscape for Radiation in
Medical Sector in Canada

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates the use of
radioactive material across Canada

In medical sector, CNSC regulates nuc med, brachytherapy, linacs
above 10 MV, not X-Ray

CNSC mandate is limited to staff, public, environment – not patients

X-Ray safety is regulated provincially – large variation between
provinces, some very poor
Staff dose is a solved problem
Annual doses in the Canadian Medical Sector
2.5
Annual dose (mSv)
2
Medical Physicist
Med Radiation Technologist
1.5
Nucl Med Technologist
Radiation Therapist
1
Radiologist (diag)
Radiologist (ther)
0.5
0
1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Year
2005 2006 2007
Patient Safety/Quality

Need to shift focus from radiation safety of staff and
public, to patient radiation safety

Patient radiation safety and quality of
treatment/diagnosis are two sides of the same coin

Regulatory framework in Canada is poorly structured for
this shift

Rely on professional societies, education, and shift in
culture
Canadian Patient Safety/Quality Initiatives

Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy
(CPQR) – an alliance among:
Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP)
Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists (CARO)
Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
(CAMRT)
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC)

Various initiatives, including technical quality
standards for radiotherapy
Canadian Patient Safety/Quality
Initiatives

COMP Winter School: Quality and Safety in Radiotherapy
#1 January 2010, Banff, Alberta
#2 February 2011, Mt. Tremblant, Quebec
#3 February 2012, Whistler, BC
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National Audit Program for radiotherapy centers (early stages)
National incident reporting system (in development)
Database for tracking patient doses from diagnostic
procedures (in development)
Radiation safety professionals in the health care
sector need to shift emphasis from staff dose to
patient dose.