Assessment of patient dose level and radiographic image quality of routine X-ray examinations at four (4) hospitals in Ghana

A study was conducted to assess patient dose level and image quality in routine radiographic examinations in Ghana. Four referral hospitals with seven X-ray facilities were selected for the technical evaluation, aimed at stre-ngthening radiological protection of patient and medical exposure control. The patient entrance surface dose was determined in terms of Entrance Surface Air Kerma (ESAK) on the basis of X-ray tube output measurements and X-ray technique factors used in routine clinical practice. The image quality was assessed by image quality gradi-ng, as per image quality guidelines of the European Commission. Poor image quality of radiographic films amou-nted to 23 %, which were caused by over or under exposure, processing protocols and field size misplacement. The ESAK values ranged from a factor of 2.6 (skull PA) up to 4.8 (chest PA), indicating variation in dose values for patients undergoing the X-ray examinations. Keywords: Entrance Surface Air Kerma (ESAK), Image Quality, X-ray Examination, Radiography, Patient Dose