BfS records incidents associated with radiation applications

BeVoMed records unintentional incidents in medicine

In order to ensure and continuously improve the high level of radiation protection in medical radiation applications in Europe, unintended or accidental incidents in medicine are recorded and evaluated. In 2019, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) set up a web-based system for this purpose. The Annual Report 2020 has now been published and can be viewed online.

Overall, medical radiation applications in Germany are quite safe. Nevertheless, errors can – very rarely – occur in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. As a result of these, individuals may be unintentionally exposed to increased levels of ionising radiation. This also includes X-rays.

Certain events are reportable

If certain reporting criteria are fulfilled in such incidents (e.g. if skin damage occurs, the dose is exceeded, or patients are mistaken), this constitutes a significant incident in medicine in the sense of radiation protection law and must be reported.

Such incidents are reported by the radiation protection officers of hospitals, practices, or medical care centres to the supervisory authority of the respective federal state. These authorities evaluate the reported incidents, arrange for any necessary measures, and pass on the evaluated reports electronically and in pseudonymised form to the BfS.

The BfS then processes the reports with the aim of preventing comparable incidents in other facilities. The results and recommendations for radiation protection derived from these reports are regularly published in an annual report.

Learning from mistakes

The BfS has set up a web-based IT system "BeVoMed" (significant incidents in medicine) for the nationwide recording and evaluation of significant incidents. The relevant authorities can apply to the BfS for access to this system. Answers to frequently asked questions (e.g. on the application of the reporting criteria in the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV)) can be found on the BfS homepage.

In this context, the BfS appeals to those responsible for radiation protection in both the outpatient and inpatient sectors to promote an appropriate error culture in their facilities and to always immediately report significant incidents to the respective supervisory authority.

This requires the participation of everyone involved in the use of radiation for medical purposes – from technical assistants to medical doctors to medical physicists. Only in this way can a joint learning process be initiated across all hierarchical levels and medical radiation applications improved in the interest of patient protection.

Information on the reporting process

Information for radiation protection officers and other health care professionals regarding the BeVoMed reporting system, registration, and the reporting process can be found at: "BeVoMed: Electronic reporting of a significant incident by the competent authority to the central office at the BfS".

Information on how the system can improve medical care and patient safety can also be found in this infographic.