Health services in the EU are a growing fraction of national wealth, typically 10% of GDP. Within this radiological imaging is gaining increasing prominence and now accounts for up to 10% of hospital revenue and 15% of capital equipment budgets, thereby identifying it as an investment of major social importance. This increase has been driven by new developments in equipment, digital imaging, medical devices, and IT industries; paralleled by novel clinical practices and modalities. Striking examples include the introduction of digital technologies to replace film, and the range of sophisticated angiographic techniques now used widely.
This project deals with radiation protection, safety, and related issues that arise from these developments. It covers over 90% of patient examinations, 60% of the collective dose from medical sources, and approximately 50% of the collective dose from man-made sources. In practice this project deals with almost all radiological digital imaging outside of CT Scanning.
This project is essential, as at present development is entirely driven by the combined and essentially global forces of the industry on one side, and the clinical users on the other. There has been no parallel investment in research on the protection, safety, efficacy, optimisation, justification, and ethical issues (despite a certain amount of regulatory development). This deficit is now evident, as day-to-day practice has outpaced the available statutory safety and standards framework. Undertaking the proposed programme, which spans:

• Functional and Objective Equipment Performance and International Standards
• Dosimetry, Constancy Testing and QA
• Justification, Ethics, and Efficacy
• Guidelines, Good Practice, and Training Materials

will underwrite the safety, efficacy and ethical aspects of clinical practice, while protecting and adding value to the products and of the associated knowledge based equipment, devices, IT, and services industries.

	Functional Performance and Standards
	Efficacy and Safety in Digital Radiology, Dentistry and Nuclear Medicine
	Efficacy and Safety in Cardiology
	Efficacy and Safety in Interventional Radiology
	Efficacy and Safety in Population Screening / Sensitive Groups
	Justification, Ethics and Efficacy
	Good Practice Guidance and Training