From Patients to Physicians: Upcoming Virtual Symposium Features Multiple Learning Tracks!
The Radiation Safety and Computed Tomography Virtual Symposium will go live online this week -- May 8th-10th, 2013. The unique event will provide a wealth of information for anyone interested in the topic of patient safety. The curriculum is specifically tailored to different audiences, including physicians, technologists, medical physicists, nurses, medical students, researchers, radiology administrators, and anyone who wants to understand the issues regarding CT radiation dose and strategies to improve the safety and utilization of CT.
Confused as to how the Symposium will be structured for the many different audiences? The Symposium offers a wide range of learning tracks, virtual lecture and exhibit “halls”, and suggested agendas depending on audience interests and professions! Here is what to expect:
Patients and Patient Advocates
Patients will learn about the benefits and the risks of medical imaging, potential alternatives to CT, and the need to make informed decisions for advanced imaging. Attendees will hear from healthcare leaders, government regulators, and medical society leaders on their progress in improving imaging safety. Additionally, they will learn about avoiding unnecessary repeat imaging and how to interpret dose from a risk perspective. Highlighted speakers include Charles Denman, MD and Kenneth Kizer, MD and the event will feature a lecture by Walt Bogdanich of the New York Times.
Physicians
Physicians will attend lectures by radiology leaders in dose optimization and earn up to 34 hours of CME credit. The track will offer the opportunity to attend demonstrations of dose monitoring software, learn about government regulation, and get legal perspectives on dose reporting. Physicians will have the opportunity to complete an ABR Maintenance of Certification. Additionally, attendees will attend sessions dedicated to pediatric CT, learn about new and emerging applications of CT, and hear the public health perspective on population studies of CT radiation exposure.
Medical Physicists
In this track, attendees will learn how to build protocols from scratch and about the latest techniques for making the best use of the scanners you currently own. Medical physicists will hear from national and international leaders in the field and attend lectures by prominent scientists in radiology physics, including John Boone, Michael McNitt-Gray, Richard Morin and J. Anthony Seibert.
Technologists
Technologists in attendance will gain an understanding of basic radiation physics for CT, protocol optimization and best practices for communication with radiologists. Attendees will practice with scanner controls in interactive games and learn to recognize the impact of acquisition parameter changes to dose according to specific manufacturer and model. Additionally, technologists will understand dose metrics and dose reference levels and be able to chat with physicist and radiologists from across the world.
Hospital Administrators
In this learning track, administrators will take courses on basic radiation physics and hear from government regulators, including the FDA and the Joint Commission. Those attending will learn systems-based approaches to improving radiation safety in CT and hear from institutions across the country on how they have been tracking and optimizing dose and improving image utilization.
Nurses, Students & Other Health Professionals
These attendees will understand the basis of image quality and dose while attending courses on basic imaging radiation physics. They will hear about the public health perspective of radiation safety and how to contextualize this with other radiation risks. Nurses, students and health professionals will learn about the Choosing Wisely and Image Wisely campaigns and strategies for improving the use of imaging and understanding dose variation across facilities. This track will feature a keynote by Catherine Lucey, MD of UCSF on Image Wisely.
To RSVP to the Radiation Safety and Computed Tomography Virtual Symposium, please click here!