Evaluation of radiation dose to Korean population by general radiography

General radiography has the highest usage among diagnostic radiology in Korea, resulting in high radiation dose by general radiography. For the medical radiation safety of patients, it is necessary to evaluate Korean population dose by general radiography. In this study, collective dose and per capita effective dose from general radiography in the Korean population were calculated. To this end, the raw data on the usage of general radiography in Korea as of 2017 was analyzed. Moreover, information on radiation dose from domestic general radiography was collected and PCXMC was used to evaluate the effective dose for patients during general radiography. As of 2017, the usage rate for lower extremity and chest examinations was high, accounting for more than 20 % of the total general radiography examinations. The effective dose depending on the examination type was the highest for whole-spine AP (1.06 mSv), followed by whole-spine LAT (0.61 mSv), and lumbar spine AP (0.51 mSv). As a result of evaluating Korean population dose by general radiography, the collective dose was 22,066 man∙Sv and the per capita effective dose was 0.43 mSv. The evaluation results of the Korea population dose obtained from this study can contribute to patient dose management in general radiography.