X-Ray Program - NEXT
Nationwide Evaluation of Xray Trends (NEXT)
What is NEXT?
The Nationwide Evaluation of X-ray Trends (NEXT) program is a partnership between the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc. (CRCPD) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), with financial support from the American College of Radiology (ACR) since 1998, to characterize the radiation doses patients receive during diagnostic x-ray examinations.
Each year the NEXT survey program selects a particular radiological examination for study and captures radiation exposure data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. clinical facilities. Volunteer state radiation control personnel conduct the surveys using reference phantoms most of which are clinically validated to represent the radiation attenuation presented by an average-size patient. Surveys are repeated periodically to track trends as technology and clinical practices change.
Office of Radiological Health Page
