This study demonstrates that patient centering markedly affects the efficacy of AEC function and that tube current changes vary between scanners. Tube position when acquiring the scout projection radiograph is decisive for the direction of the mAs change. Off-center patient positions cause errors in tube current modulation that can outweigh the dose reduction gained by AEC use, and image quality is affected.

No abstract

Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia developed the Observable Indicators of Nursing Home Care Quality instrument to measure the dimensions of nursing home care quality during a brief on-site visit to a nursing home. The instrument has been translated for use in Iceland and used in Canada. Results of the validity and reliability studies using the instrument in 12 nursing homes in Reykjavik, in a large Veterans Home in Ontario with 14 units tested separately, and in 20 nursing homes in Missouri, are promising. High-content validity was observed in all countries, together with excellent inter-rater reliability and coefficient alpha. Test-retest reliabilities in Iceland and Missouri were good. Results of the international field test of the Observable Indicators of Nursing Home Care Quality instrument points to the usefulness of such an instrument in measuring nursing home care quality following a quick on-site observation in a nursing facility. The instrument should be used as a facility-wide assessment of quality, rather than for individual units within a facility. We strongly recommend its use by practising nurses in nursing homes to assess quality of care and guide efforts to improve care. We recommend its use by researchers and consumers and further testing of the use of the instrument with regulators.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility to determine regional diagnostic reference levels (RDRLs) for paediatric conventional and CT examinations using the European guidelines and to compare RDRLs derived from weight and age groups, respectively. Methods: Data were collected from 31 hospitals in 4 countries, for 7 examination types for a total of 2978 patients. RDRLs were derived for each weight and age group, respectively, when the total number of patients exceeded 15. Results: It was possible to derive RDRLs for most, but not all, weight-based and age-based groups for the seven examinations. The result using weight-based and age-based groups differed substantially. The RDRLs were lower than or equal to the European and recently published national DRLs. Conclusion: It is feasible to derive RDRLs. However, a thorough review of the clinical indications and methodologies has to be performed previous to data collection. This study does not support the notion that DRLs derived using age and weight groups are exchangeable. Advances in knowledge: Paediatric DRLs should be derived using weight-based groups with access to the actual weight of the patients. DRLs developed using weight differ markedly from those developed with the use of age. There is still a need to harmonize the method to derive solid DRLs for paediatric radiological examinations.