The National Diagnostic Reference Level Service (NDRLS) is an initiative by ARPANSA aimed at helping medical imaging providers in Australia recognise when they should conduct an imaging protocol optimisation program. It offers tools and resources for healthcare professionals to compare their patient doses, across various imaging modalities and protocols, against established benchmarks known as diagnostic reference levels (DRLs).
Australian medical imaging providers are required under the ARPANSA Code of Practice (RPS C-5 Section 3.2.15, previously RPS 14 Section 3.1.8) to regularly compare typical patient doses to the national DRLs. This comparison ensures that radiation doses are kept as low as reasonably achievable while acknowledging the need to maintain image quality. By adhering to these guidelines, providers can identify when doses are higher than necessary and take steps to optimise their procedures.
