General principles of ALARA

The guiding principles for radiation protection in medicine are:

1. Justification: The exam must be medically indicated.
2. Optimization: The exam must be performed using doses that are As Low As ReasonablyAchievable (ALARA), consistent with the diagnostic task.
3. Limitation: While dose levels to occupationally exposed individuals (i.e. the radiologist or technologist) are limited to levels recommended by consensus organizations, limits are not typical for medically-necessary exams or procedures.