ArticleHealth science reports2026
Pediatric Diagnostic Reference Levels for Chest X-Rays in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa: A Descriptive Study.
Article in Health science reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Establishment of National Diagnostic Reference Levels for Pediatric Chest X-Ray Examinations in Ethiopia.Radiology research and practice · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Aims: The International Commission on Radiological Protection emphasizes dose optimization for pediatric patients due to their higher radiosensitivity. Establishing diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) supports this goal during radiological examinations. This study aimed to establish pediatric diagnostic reference levels (PiDRLs) for anteroposterior (AP) chest X-rays across four hospitals in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Methods: PiDRLs were calculated for 375 pediatric patients (birth to 12 years) categorized by weight bands and age groups. Image quality was assessed using an image quality assessment checklist. DRLs were determined as the 75th percentile of the dose distribution for fixed X-ray units. An image quality assessment was performed to establish if the dose levels consistently produced images of acceptable diagnostic quality. Results: Mean PiDRLs for weight groups < 5 kg, 5- < 15 kg, 15- < 30 kg, 30- < 50 kg were 0.2 mGy, 0.2 mGy, 0.2 mGy, and 0.3 mGy, respectively. Corresponding values for age groups < 1 year, 1- < 5 years, 5- < 10 years, and 10- < 12 years were 0.2 mGy, 0.2 mGy, 0.3 mGy, and 0.3 mGy, respectively. Image quality was consistently high, with the 75th percentile slightly exceeding international benchmarks. The image quality assessment confirmed that the dose levels produced images of acceptable image quality. Conclusion: PiDRLs match select international benchmarks, offering a baseline for South African optimization. This study contributes valuable regional data to support radiation safety and dose optimization in pediatric medical imaging in South Africa.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.