An evaluation of safety policies and procedures in Australian magnetic resonance imaging departments

Stage 3 accreditation of medical imaging sites was introduced within Australia in 2004. For the first time, it was compulsory for medical imaging practices to comply with the guidelines for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) safety of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, with a compliance date of December 2005. Stages 1 and 2 had been designed specifically for medical imaging practices incorporating licensed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, but Stage 3 had wider application. A questionnaire was sent to 110 MRI sites identified within Australia. This questionnaire was designed to assess how site-specific MRI safety protocols have evolved and investigate the rigour with which these protocols are applied. Forty-six of the questionnaires were returned and these form the basis of this report. Thirty-nine of the respondents hold Medicare licenses for their MRI units and should, therefore, have successfully completed Stages 1 and 2 of the accreditation process.