Radiography is the most common ionizing imaging examination, with over 275 million exams performed yearly in the United States including 25 million pediatric exams.
The purpose of the ACR DIR DR module is to document practice patterns and, over time, establish dose indices’ benchmarks for common DR examinations. Facilities can then compare their data to regional and national aggregate data to determine if changes in their acquisition techniques are needed to improve patient care.
Seeking Pilot Sites
A necessary first step in the creation of the DIR DR is to launch a pilot project with the goal of identifying and correcting possible workflow and technical issues such as problems in collecting the data elements and resolving protocol naming conflicts. Analysis of pilot study data will provide a glimpse into current practice patterns and the magnitude of variation in radiography exposure metrics. It will also be used to help shape the structure of feedback reports to participating sites.
If you are interested in participating in the pilot project phase, please complete the form located here.
Data Collected
The DIR DR module automatically de-identifies exam data sent directly to the registry with fluoroscopy specific dose indices: Exposure Index (EI), Target Exposure Index (TEI) and Deviation Index (DI). Exam descriptions are standardized using ACR Common radiology terms and semantic structures so that data are comparable across facilities and scanners.
Last reviewed: 05/06/20