Optimisation of protection

The likelihood of incurring exposure the number of people exposed and the magnitude of their individual doses should all be kept as low as reasonably achievable taking into account economic and societal factors. In medical imaging optimisation of protection implies lowest dose for the clinical purpose.

(Adapted from ICRP Publication 129, 2015)

Return to Glossary

Previous glossary entries

from ICRP Publication 139, 2018

(and safety) The process of determining what level of protection and safety makes exposures and the probability and magnitude of potential exposures as low as reasonably achievable economic and societal factors being taken into account (ICRP 2007a). In medical imaging and radiotherapy procedures optimisation of radiological protection means keeping the doses ‘as low as reasonably achievable economic and societal factors being taken into account’ and is best described as management of the radiation dose to the patient to be commensurate with the medical purpose.

from ICRP Publication 132, 2016

The principle of optimisation of radiological protection is a source-related process that aims to keep the magnitude of individual doses, the number of people exposed, and the likelihood of potential exposure as low as reasonably achievable below the appropriate dose criteria (constraint or reference level), economic and societal factors being taken into account.

from ICRP Publication 126, 2014

The process of determining what level of protection makes exposures and the probability and magnitude of potential exposures as low as reasonably achieve - able taking economic and societal factors into account.