In plain language
This book chapter describes the radiation safety officer's authority to keep staff and public doses as low as reasonably achievable, and argues for a wider radiation safety officer (RSO) role in educating clinicians and leadership about managing patient dose.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Narrative review
- Who was studied
- Medical physicists and radiation safety officers
- Summary based on
- the abstract
What it found
The RSO holds broad organizational authority, including stopping unsafe practices and initiating and verifying corrective actions.
RSO efforts focus mainly on keeping doses to employees and the public as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
Regulations give the RSO little formal role in patient dose except when equipment malfunction or human error is suspected.
The chapter discusses tools and resources for RSOs to educate clinicians and senior management on managing patient dose.
Limits to keep in mind
Narrative book chapter assessed from the abstract only; it presents no original data.
Related research summaries
- IAEA Radiation Protection and Safety in Medical Uses of Ionizing Radiation (2018, Regulation or standard)
- AAPM Report 58 - Managing the Use of Fluoroscopy in Medical Institutions (1998, Guideline or consensus statement)
- AST Standards for Ionizing Radiation Exposure (Guideline or consensus statement)
- AAPM Medical Physics Practice Guideline 12.a - Fluoroscopy Dose Management (2022, Guideline or consensus statement)
- Radiation protection practices in diagnostic and interventional cardiology: Position paper from Portuguese Association of Interventional Cardiology (2025, Guideline or consensus statement)
How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from the abstract of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.