A senior delegation led by Commissioner Silvia Calzón  highlights CSN’s dedication to international cooperation and coordination

The conference serves to gather health authorities and radiation safety regulators amid a rapidly evolving technological landscape

A delegation from the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), led by Commissioner Silvia Calzón and the Technical Director for Radiation Protection, Isabel Villanueva, is participating this week in the International Conference on Radiation Protection in Medicine: X-ray Vision, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. This meeting, which is also attended by representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), provides a global forum for reviewing the regulation of technical and clinical advances associated with the use of ionising radiation in medical practice, as well as for defining common priorities in the face of emerging challenges.

Commissioner Silvia Calzón, alongside the PAHO representative, chaired the session dedicated to regulation and standards in radiation protection. During the session, the importance of collaboration and coordination between health authorities and regulatory bodies for radiation protection was highlighted. Emphasis was also placed on fostering communication with medical professional associations, manufacturers of new medical technology, and the society.

The meeting brings together medical professionals from the fields of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Radiotherapy. It also gathers national regulators, experts in medical physics and dosimetry, representatives of patient organisations, and academic communities. The CSN’s participation reflects the Spanish regulator's commitment to the continuous improvement of radiation protection and safety in medicine, and to the global exchange of knowledge and best practices to optimise preparedness for new demands.

Patients and exposed workers

The conference carried out an extensive technical programme. Sessions addressed the clinical justification for the use of radiation in medicine and the optimisation of diagnostic and therapeutic practices involving ionising radiation. Analyses were also conducted on how to learn from incidents and unintended exposures. Another segment focused on the impact of emerging technologies and the application of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, discussions were held on how to strengthen safety culture and improve risk communication. The programme also included the study of specific needs within health systems with limited resources.

Likewise, the conference emphasises cross-cutting issues, such as the availability of reliable data to assess exposure trends, the need to reinforce professional competencies in radiation protection, implementation difficulties in countries with limited resources, and the challenge of ageing medical equipment that utilises ionising radiation.

Global standards

This conference is part of a series of landmark meetings organised by the IAEA. The first edition, held in Málaga in 2001 at the request of the IAEA General Conference, marked the beginning of an international action plan to strengthen patient protection. The second conference, in Bonn in 2012, defined the global strategy for that decade. The third, in Vienna in 2017, delved deeper into international cooperation and the creation of tools to implement the so called «Bonn Call for Action». The current edition of the Conference continues this process, expanding it with the analysis of emerging technologies and the integration of new regulatory approaches.

Ionising radiation provides decisive benefits in the medical field, especially in the early detection and treatment of numerous diseases. However, its use also involves risks that must be managed appropriately. Unnecessary or unintended exposure can compromise the safety of patients and healthcare professionals; therefore, it is essential to strengthen radiation protection systems, the clinical justification of procedures, and the optimisation of administered doses. This IAEA conference is held precisely to advance these objectives, consolidate international cooperation, and promote safe and scientific evidence based practices .