Changes

<br/>Ionising radiation has been used in healthcare since the discovery of x rays over a 100 years ago. Since then, ionising radiation applications and technologies have evolved to become an important part of contemporary medicine, with hundreds of millions of people benefiting from [[diagnostic radiology]], [[interventional procedures]], [[radiation therapy ]] and [[nuclear medicine ]] every year. In addition, radiation is widely used in [[biomedical research ]] and [[veterinary medicine]].

The application of radiation in healthcare offers proven benefits to individuals and society. However, due to the inherent properties of ionising radiation, it may also pose [[Radiation_health_effects|health risks ]] to exposed patients, healthcare providers, and others. Over the past years, the International Commission on Radiological Protection ([[ICRP]]) has provided overall recommendations on [[the System of Radiological Protection ]] in [[ICRP Publication 103]], guidance on radiological protection in medicine (e.g. in [[ICRP Publication 73 ]] Radiological Protection and Safety in Medicine, [[ICRP Publication 105 ]] Radiological Protection in Medicine, [[ICRP Supporting Guidance 2 ]] Radiation and your patient - A Guide for Medical Practitioners), and many supporting publications on topic-specific applications in [[diagnostic radiology]], [[interventional procedures ]] and [[radiation therapy ]] (see the [[List of ICRP Publications on Radiological Protection in Healthcare]]).