Portable X-ray devices allowed outside medical institutions in Korea

Portable X-ray machines will soon be permitted for use outside of medical institutions.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the “Rules on Safety Management of Diagnostic Radiation Generating Devices” will take effect on Friday.

Previously, diagnostic radiation generating devices, including X-rays, have been used inside medical institutions to prevent radiation hazards or mounted on mobile examination vehicles for use outside medical institutions.

However, with the recent advancements in portable X-ray devices and imaging system technology, many have expressed the view that the system needs to be improved so that portable X-rays can be actively used where necessary.

Some experts also maintained that portable X-ray devices should be used in emergency and disaster situations, and that they should be utilized for inspections in areas with limited access to medical care, including islands and mountainous regions.

In response, the ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Gangwon Province, confirmed the safety and effectiveness of portable X-ray imaging devices by applying them in the field through the Gangwon Digital Healthcare Regulatory Free Zone, and revised the rules by establishing use and safety standards.

With this rule revision, portable X-ray devices weighing 10 kilograms or less can be used outside of hospitals without being mounted on a mobile examination vehicle.

In this case, to prevent radiation hazards, safety standards must be followed, such as the radiation dose measured at a radius of two meters around the device must be two millirem (mR) or less per week, access control lines must be installed around the device to prevent the public from entering, and lead partitions or building walls must be used to prevent radiation from directly irradiating the public.

“With this revision, we hope that portable X-rays will be actively utilized in areas with weak medical access or in emergencies to help diagnose and treat patients quickly,” Healthcare Policy Officer Kim Kook-il said.