Analysis on workforce availability, education and training needs for the quality and safety of medical applications involving ionising radiation in the EU : status and recommendations. Final Report

Abstract

The European Union Radiation, Education, Staffing & Training (EU-REST) study aimed to collect and analyse workforce availability, education, and training needs to ensure quality and safety aspects of medical applications involving ionising radiation and to develop staffing and education/training guidelines as well as conclusions and recommendations for key professional groups involved in ensuring radiation safety and quality of medical radiation applications in the European Union. The study covered the following professional groups: Radiologists, Nuclear Medicine Physicians, Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, Radiographers, and Radiation Therapists (RTT) for countries where this is a separate professional group independent from the category of Radiographers). The survey carried out to collect data revealed considerable variability in staffing and education aspects across the EU, as well as a widespread lack of relevant data. The draft guidelines and the resulting draft conclusions and recommendations were submitted to peer review and stakeholder consultation for general assessment and identification of potential barriers to implementation. The study’s recommendations include that Member States create and maintain national workforce registries for each professional group and that mandated continuing professional development (CPD) also includes techniques and knowledge relevant to each professional group, beyond radiation protection issues.