Assessment of radiation doses for paediatric patients undergoing x-ray examinations in selected hospitals in Dar es salaam

Children are very sensitive to the effects of ionizing radiation than adults, thus special care needs to be taken on the amount of radiation dose given to paediatric patients during X-ray examination. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of exposure parameters used and the magnitude of radiation doses delivered to paediatric patients undergoing X-ray examinations. The Entrance Surface Air Kerma (ESAK) for paediatric patients of age ranged from (0 - 16) years who were undergoing chest and abdomen X-ray examination were evaluated. The study involved 214 paediatric patients from three Regional hospitals in Dar es Salaam, which are Amana, Mwananyamala and Temeke. The average patients’ dose for chest X-ray examinations in all age groups considered in the study 0-1 years, 1-5 years, 5-10 years and 10-16 years ranged from 0.04 - 0.60 mGy, 0.03 - 0.72 mGy, 0.06 – 0,78 mGy and 0.10 - 1.07 mGy respectively. The average patients’ dose for abdomen X-ray examinations for corresponding age groups ranged from 0.070 - 0.70 mGy, 0.068 - 0.840 mGy, 0.078 - 0.636 mGy and 0.117 - 1.113 mGy respectively. The doses for the chest X-ray examinations were found to be slightly higher than the Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) of 0.05 mGy, 0.07 mGy and 0.12 mGy. While for the abdomen X-ray examinations, doses were found to be lower than the DRLs values of 0.4 mGy, 0.5 mGy, 0.8 mGy and 1.2 mGy. All three facilities (ARH, MRH and TRH) were observed to operate at higher tube loading (mAs) which is most likely the reasons for the higher radiation doses delivered to paediatric patients in chest X-ray examinations. However, there is possibilities of dose reduction by optimization of exposure parameters through the proper implementation of quality control program, training to radiographers and standardization of exposure parameters used in paediatric radiography.