| Autor: |
Hasford, Francis, Khelassi-Toutaoui, Nadia, Attalla, Ehab, Sackey, Theophilus, Talbi, Mohammed, Ahmed, Alsadeg, Darsalih, Abir, Thabet, Ahmad Refaat, Knoll, Peter, Tsapaki, Virginia |
| Zdroj: |
Health & Technology; Jan2024, Vol. 14 Issue 1, p169-187, 19p |
| Abstrakt: |
Purpose: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has developed a harmonized quality control (QC) protocol for performance evaluation and comparison of diagnostic radiology facilities in Africa. This study analyzes QC data on X-ray, computed tomography (CT), mammography and fluoroscopy equipment provided by African countries that applied the established QC protocol for pilot implementation of a regional quality assurance (QA) program. Methods: Total of 108 medical imaging equipment comprising 51 X-ray, 23 CT, 20 mammography and 14 fluoroscopy systems in use at 51 diagnostic radiology centres in 5 African countries were considered. All performance tests were conducted in accordance with the harmonized African protocol, and the data were validated and analyzed using MS Excel 365 through visual summaries, trends and patterns. Results from the analysis were benchmarked against acceptance criteria of the protocol. Results: Results from the performance measurements for X-ray machines include half value layer (HVL), beam perpendicularity, output, timer and kVp accuracies, while CT performance measurements comprised uniformity and accuracy, image noise, dosimetry and laser alignment. Mammography data include collimation accuracy, kV and timer accuracy, radiation output reproducibility and mean glandular dose, and fluoroscopy data cover automatic exposure control (AEC) and resolution. Out-of-tolerance data were conspicuous in some X-ray and CT machines, for which investigation was recommended. Conclusion: The study has produced promising results, showed general performance of the pilot imaging equipment and identified abnormalities that would otherwise not have been detected. A good basis has been set for implementation of the harmonized protocol on a wider scale in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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