The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare is currently reviewing the Diagnostic Imaging Accreditation Scheme. Here’s some key insight into what this commission is all about, possible future changes to DIAS, and how you can ensure your practice is best prepared for upcoming changes.
What is the purpose of a Radiation Management Plan?
This will describe the radiation safety features and policies that are specific to your vet practice, helping you ensure that your staff’s work when dealing with Veterinary Radiography is safely and fully compliant with the requirements of the Radiation Protection Act 2005 and the Radiation Protection Regulations 2016.
Information needed in your Radiation Management Plan
All vet practices in Australia must supply the following in the RAP:
- A description of the scope and type of your radiation work– For example, your practice might work primarily with small domestic animals and provide radiography services on-site in your practice surgery. Or you may operate a mobile practice that provides radiography services for farm animals on-site at farms.
- A list of radiation sources at your practice – Such as x-rays or nuclear medicine.
- A list of potential hazards from radiation sources – Including primary x-ray beams, tube head leakage, scattered radiation, etc.
- Details about the environment that may be exposed to radiation hazards – For example, x-ray rooms and areas within 2 metres of x-ray units.
- Policies and procedures in place to manage these radiation risks –Including ensuring that the workload specified in the Certificate for Registration for the surgery isn’t exceeded, use of personal radiation monitors, that the X-ray beam is collimated correctly to cover only the area of interest, and that you have a set of written procedures that have been developed in line with the Safety Guide for Radiation Protection in Veterinary Medicine (2009), and that this has been made available to all staff.
- Measures to protect vulnerable persons who may be exposed to radiation during practice – Such as not allowing anyone under 16 into the radiation practice space, not allowing pregnant women unless they are 2 metres from the radiation equipment, etc.
- The qualifications and requirements for staff to use radiation equipment – And that this qualification and training is in line with compliance/regulations.
- The appointment and training of a radiation safety officer – Including their training, duties, responsibilities, and provision that they are the first contact for staff in the event of exposure.
- Measures for the maintenance of radiation equipment – Including servicing, disposal of waste, transportation, and use.
- Reports for radiation exposure and related incidents – In addition to personal radiation documentation/records, safety equipment annual tests, etc.
Getting a Radiation Management License
Make it simple for your vet practice in Australia to get a Radiation Management license – just chat to the team at Excelsior Accreditation and we’ll use our many years of experience to make this process as smooth, quick, and easy as possible! In addition to helping practices apply for this license, we can assist with your radiation management plan, and maintain your practice’s compliance in the years to come.
While we don’t know for certain what changes may be in store, the results of this commission will likely require practices to meet changes required for DIAS certification and maintaining your practice status. This includes practices that provide angiography, CT, fluoroscopy, orthopantomography, MRI, mammography, nuclear medicine, x-ray, and ultrasound services to their patients.
