The Think A-Head campaign: an introduction to ImageGently 2.0

Excerpt

A decade has passed since the inception of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging [1]. This milestone marks a good time for a look back at what has been accomplished and what needs to be changed. Specifically, this commentary could comprise what has been achieved, what kind of impact the campaign has made on radiation safety in pediatric imaging and also, importantly, what missed opportunities or missteps have occurred that we can learn from. But the Alliance from the outset has been about moving ahead, sometimes intensely focused and sometimes with a broad visionary brush. The Alliance has focused on what is next and why this is important, and in the end, how to improve imaging care of children. The six campaigns of Image Gently illustrate this effort. These campaigns have primarily addressed modalities — computed tomography, radiography, fluoroscopy, nuclear medicine, interventional fluoroscopy, and most recently, dental imaging. The message, the messengers, and messaging [2] were the basis of these campaigns, and the campaigns have been a vehicle for education. The most recent campaign of Image Gently was rolled out Nov. 2, 2016. This campaign is the Think A-Head campaign for imaging children with minor closed head injury. What does this campaign tell us about the next 10 years of the Alliance? The answer comes from highlighting select changes, successes and challenges of the last 10 years and using these to understand the emphasis for the next 10 years, essentially Image Gently 2.0. This look back, then, will be a basis for the look ahead. …