Radiologic Technology Act of 1992

Legal and Professional Standards

• Radiologic Technology Act of 1992 (Republic Act No. 7431) regulates radiologic technology in the Philippines.
• Protects the public from radiation hazards.
• Ensures proper diagnosis, treatment, and research using radiation.
• Signed into law on April 22, 1992.
• Law defines terms like x-ray technology, radiologic technology, x-ray technologist, radiologic technologist, radiology, radiologist, and medical physicist.
• Aims to upgrade radiologic technology practices in the Philippines.
• The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) accredits and integrates professional organizations.
• The PRC ensures technologists' competence through mandatory continuing professional development.
• The Department of Health (DOH), through the Center for Device Regulation, Radiation Health and Research (CDRRHR) of the FDA regulates facilities using radiation devices.
• Ensures radiation protection and safety in the use of radiation devices.
• All radiation facilities must demonstrate compliance with technical standards for licensing and registration.
• Practicing radiologic or x-ray technology in the Philippines without proper certification can lead to fines and imprisonment.
• Penalties are imposed for using someone else's certificate, an expired license, or providing false information to obtain certification.

Medical Records

• Accuracy of documentation requires proper documentation of all relevant details.
• Radiographic images must be stored and protected as legal documents.

Legal Risk Reduction/Risk Management

• Compliance with the law and standards of practice reduces legal risk.
• Adherence to moral and ethical standards is expected of every radiologic technologist and x-ray technologist.

Parameters of Legal Responsibility

• Radiologic Technologists/Radiographers responsibilities include identifying the patient, informing them about the procedure, verifying that female patients are not pregnant, performing the radiological procedure following an optimized protocol and ensuring patient protection.
• They must also perform regular quality control of radiological equipment, record patient doses, and inform the radiologist and radiation protection officer (RPO) in the case of an accident or incident.
• Responsibilities of Radiologists include ensuring overall radiological protection of patients, ensuring each medical exposure is justified in consultation with the referring physician, and ensuring the exposure of patients is the minimum required.
• Establishing optimized protocols for diagnostic and image-guided interventional procedures in consultation with the medical physicist and technologist/radiographer.
• Providing criteria to manage the examination of pregnant women and pediatric patients.
• Medical Physicists responsibilities include planning facilities for radiology practice and preparing performance specifications for equipment regarding radiation protection.
• Participating in the continuing review of the radiology practice's resources, operations, policies, and procedures.
• Carrying out acceptance testing and commissioning of equipment, supervising equipment maintenance; and performing patient dose assessment.

Confidentiality of Patient Medical Records (Written and Electronic)

• Radiologic technologists must respect confidences entrusted to them during their professional practice.
• They should respect the patient's right to privacy and reveal confidential information only as required by law or to protect the welfare of the individual or the community.
• Moral and ethical standards dictate that every radiologic technologist and x-ray technologist act with dignity and sincerity and must express genuine concern in the discharge of their professional duties.

Electronic Communication

• The use of electronic communication (e.g., cell phones, social networking sites, e-mail, photography) must adhere to patient privacy and confidentiality standards.