Optimised use of CT Scanners: last HERCA Multi-stakeholder meeting

On the 6^th of March 2017, HERCA organized in Vienna a third and last multi-stakeholder meeting on the optimised use of CT Scanners. This meeting was kindly hosted by the IAEA.

The objective of these meetings was to promote the collaboration between stakeholders on the issue of education and training with regards to the optimised use of CT scanners.

The participating stakeholders included:

• COCIR, supported by the main manufacturers of CT equipment (GE, Philips, Siemens and Toshiba)     
• The professional organisations: ESR, ESPR, EANM, EFRS, ISRRT, ESTRO and EFOMP      
• The international organisations IAEA, EC ENER, WHO, IRPA and the US FDA observed these meetings.

 The outcomes of these three meetings are the following actions/commitments undertaken by the following stakeholders:

ESR

Developed the “Eurosafe imaging campaign”. In this campaign there a number of actions related to CT dose optimization: http://www.eurosafeimaging.org/

EANM

1. New and revised guidelines will include, where relevant, specific suggestions on the optimized use of CT
2. EANM will include, in future congresses, relevant education to support the optimized use of CT in hybrid modalities: http://www.eanm.org/congresses-events/annual-congress/

EFRS

1. Cooperate with industry in establishing dedicated training curricula for radiographers
2. Promote documents and education material on the EFRS web site and within the EFRS      network    
3. Support workshops and training events together with the industry to share knowledge and also provide feedback for the industry on issues of CT dose reduction and optimisation

EFOMP

1. Organised a number of courses on CT dose optimization in 2016 and 2017
2. Has planned courses for 2018: http://www.eutempe-rx.eu/
3. Has established memoranda of agreement with subject societies ESTRO, EANM, ESR and EFRS
4. Signed a memorandum of understanding with COCIR in Vienna on the 3^rd of March 2017: http://www.efomp.org/index.php/efomp-news/442-cocir-and-efomp-announce-partnership
5. Organises a joint EFOMP-COCIR ESMPE edition on “CT Technology – Dosimetry -25-27 January 2018 – Prague”

ESTRO

1. Collaborates with EFOMP in the organization of training courses on CT dose optimization in radiotherapy
2. Collaborates with EFOMP and IAEA in the development of a quality control program for CBCT : http://www.efomp.org/index.php/efomp-news/376-european-school-for-medical-physics-experts-esmpe-vi-edition

The outcomes of the three multi-stakeholder meetings show clearly the willingness of stakeholders to promote education and training in the field of CT optimisation and most of all to collaborate together to achieve this goal.

HERCA sincerely thanks all the participants for their positive contribution.

Participating Organisations

COCIR, European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry

EANM, European Association of Nuclear Medicine

EC, European Commission

EFOMP, European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics

EFRS, European Federation of Radiographer Societies

ESR, European Society of Radiology

ESPR, European Society of Paediatric Radiology

ESTRO, European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology

US FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency

IRPA, International Radiation Protection Association

ISRRT, International Society of Radiographers & Radiological Technologists