This text is an invaluable, comprehensive data reference for anyone involved in health physics or radiation safety. This new edition addresses the specific data requirements of health physicists, with data presented in large tables, including the latest NCRP recommendations, which are tabulated and given in both SI and traditional units for ease of use. Although portions of these data can be obtained from various internet sites, many are obscure, difficult to navigate and/or have conflicting information for even the most common data, such as specific gamma ray constants. This new edition compiles all essential data in this vast field into one user-friendly, authoritative source. It also offers a website with full-text search capability. Markets include radiation safety, medical physics and nuclear medicine

Big Data in Radiation Oncology gives readers an in-depth look into how big data is having an impact on the clinical care of cancer patients. While basic principles and key analytical and processing techniques are introduced in the early chapters, the rest of the book turns to clinical applications, in particular for cancer registries, informatics, radiomics, radiogenomics, patient safety and quality of care, patient-reported outcomes, comparative effectiveness, treatment planning, and clinical decision-making. More features of the book are: Offers the first focused treatment of the role of big data in the clinic and its impact on radiation therapy. Covers applications in cancer registry, radiomics, patient safety, quality of care, treatment planning, decision making, and other key areas. Discusses the fundamental principles and techniques for processing and analysis of big data. Address the use of big data in cancer prevention, detection, prognosis, and management. Provides practical guidance on implementation for clinicians and other stakeholders. Dr. Jun Deng is a professor at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology of Yale University School of Medicine and an ABR board certified medical physicist at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has received numerous honors and awards such as Fellow of Institute of Physics in 2004, AAPM Medical Physics Travel Grant in 2008, ASTRO IGRT Symposium Travel Grant in 2009, AAPM-IPEM Medical Physics Travel Grant in 2011, and Fellow of AAPM in 2013. Lei Xing, Ph.D., is the Jacob Haimson Professor of Medical Physics and Director of Medical Physics Division of Radiation Oncology Department at Stanford University. His research has been focused on inverse treatment planning, tomographic image reconstruction, CT, optical and PET imaging instrumentations, image guided interventions, nanomedicine, and applications of molecular imaging in radiation oncology. Dr. Xing is on the editorial boards of a number of journals in radiation physics and medical imaging, and is recipient of numerous awards, including the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award, The Whitaker Foundation Grant Award, and a Max Planck Institute Fellowship.

This book reevaluates the health risks of ionizing radiation in light of data that have become available since the 1980 report on this subject was published. The data include new, much more reliable dose estimates for the A-bomb survivors, the results of an additional 14 years of follow-up of the survivors for cancer mortality, recent results of follow-up studies of persons irradiated for medical purposes, and results of relevant experiments with laboratory animals and cultured cells. It analyzes the data in terms of risk estimates for specific organs in relation to dose and time after exposure, and compares radiation effects between Japanese and Western populations.

This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

The World Health Organization stated that approximately two-thirds of the world’s population lacks adequate access to medical imaging. The scarcity of imaging services in developing regions contributes to a widening disparity of health care and limits global public health programs that require imaging. Radiology is an important component of many global health programs, including those that address tuberculosis, AIDS-related disease, trauma, occupational and environmental exposures, breast cancer screening, and maternal-infant health care. There is a growing need for medical imaging in global health efforts and humanitarian outreach, particularly as an increasing number of academic, government, and non-governmental organizations expand delivery of health care to disadvantaged people worldwide. To systematically deploy clinical imaging services to low-resource settings requires contributions from a variety of disciplines such as clinical radiology, epidemiology, public health, finance, radiation physics, information technology, engineering, and others. This book will review critical concepts for those interested in managing, establishing, or participating in a medical imaging program for resource-limited environments and diverse cross-cultural contexts undergoing imaging technology adaptation.

Does radiation medicine need more regulation or simply better-coordinated regulation? This book addresses this and other questions of critical importance to public health and safety. The issues involved are high on the nation's agenda: the impact of radiation on public safety, the balance between federal and state authority, and the cost-benefit ratio of regulation. Although incidents of misadministration are rare, a case in Pennsylvania resulting in the death of a patient and the inadvertent exposure of others to a high dose of radiation drew attention to issues concerning the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine and the need to examine current regulatory practices. Written at the request from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Radiation in Medicine reviews the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine, focusing on the NRC's Medical Use Program, which governs the use of reactor-generated byproduct materials. The committee recommends immediate action on enforcement and provides longer term proposals for reform of the regulatory system. The volume covers: Sources of radiation and their use in medicine. Levels of risk to patients, workers, and the public. Current roles of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, other federal agencies, and states. Criticisms from the regulated community. The committee explores alternative regulatory structures for radiation medicine and explains the rationale for the option it recommends in this volume. Based on extensive research, input from the regulated community, and the collaborative efforts of experts from a range of disciplines, Radiation in Medicine will be an important resource for federal and state policymakers and regulators, health professionals involved in radiation treatment, developers and producers of radiation equipment, insurance providers, and concerned laypersons.

This workbook on Quality assurance is primarily written for radiographers and radiological technologists, but it may prove valuable for other health professionals. It focuses on the most essential steps of practical quality assurance needed in order to improve safety, quality, and efficacy of their work, and may be used either for self study and self assessment, or as part of organized training courses. The workbook includes teaching techniques and health and safety issues in X-ray departments. It also includes 6 teaching modules on reject film analysis, accessory equipment, X-ray equipment, manual film processing, automatic film processing, and radiographic exposures. It concludes with two appendix on making simple test tools, graphs, check sheets and record sheets, as well as a glossary and references.

This book is the seventh in a series of titles from the National Research Council that addresses the effects of exposure to low dose LET (Linear Energy Transfer) ionizing radiation and human health. Updating information previously presented in the 1990 publication, Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR V, this book draws upon new data in both epidemiologic and experimental research. Ionizing radiation arises from both natural and man-made sources and at very high doses can produce damaging effects in human tissue that can be evident within days after exposure. However, it is the low-dose exposures that are the focus of this book. So-called “late” effects, such as cancer, are produced many years after the initial exposure. This book is among the first of its kind to include detailed risk estimates for cancer incidence in addition to cancer mortality. BEIR VII offers a full review of the available biological, biophysical, and epidemiological literature since the last BEIR report on the subject and develops the most up-to-date and comprehensive risk estimates for cancer and other health effects from exposure to low-level ionizing radiation.