The last São Paulo Society of Radiology (SPR)’s Radiological Protection Study Group, in 2021, was held on December 6, with the theme “How to implement the Quality Assurance Program in the RDC 330 molds”.

The presentation was conducted by the medical physicist Tiago Jornada, a specialist in radiodiagnosis and supervisor of Radiological Protection at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Federal University of Pernambuco.

To put it into context, the physicist presented the importance of medical images, which have a determining and justified role in monitoring a disease that has already been diagnosed and/or treated. In addition, they are used to improve public health and population groups.

The impact of quality on the health service goes far beyond patient care, as it also involves the family and society. A false positive, for example, affects not only who is diagnosed, but who is around them and depends on studies, which will focus on error.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the definition of quality is “a high level of professional excellence, efficient use of resources, minimal risk to the patient, a high degree of patient satisfaction and final results in health”.

The Resolution of the Collegiate Board – RDC 330

In 2019, RDC 330 replaced Ordinance 453 of 1998 and brings rules on the use of X-rays and basic guidelines for radiological protection in the scope of medicine and dentistry:

In addition to the above regulations, the following programs are also required:

I – Quality Assurance Program;

II – Continuing Education Program, for all professionals;

III – Radiological Protection Program, when the service uses ionizing radiation for diagnostic or interventional purposes.

Quality control (QC), according to ISO definitions, represents the most basic level of quality and is considered the snapshot of the performance of the characteristics of a product or service to verify that it complies with the foreseen requirements in law. For this, it is necessary to extend the analysis beyond imaging equipment, including rooms’ design and future perspectives, infrastructure, and work procedures.

To guarantee image and exam quality, it is also necessary to be aware of natural wear, conditions of use, transport, installation and storage, failure of PACs and the film printing system.

Therefore, to be able to implement the Quality Assurance Program following the RDC 330 molds, it is important to hire a company to carry out the quality control tests, so that a multidisciplinary team well supports all sectors.