Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1457. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health if he will amend the appropriate statutory instrument to allow suitable professionals registered with the Physiotherapists Registration Board to refer patients for an x-ray; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16786/23]
View answerCouncil Directive 2013/59/EURATOM (the BSSD), insofar as it relates to the designation of referrers, was fully transposed by the European Union (Basic Safety Standards for Protection Against Dangers Arising from Medical Exposure to Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 256 of 2018). These regulations designate those who may refer for radiological tests; nurses, doctors, dentists and radiographers are designated as appropriate.
On behalf of the Department of Health, the Health Research Board undertook an evidence brief titled Radiological Tests: Who can refer? What does the evidence say? An Evidence brief. An evidence brief is a type of literature review that is particularly suited to describing international approaches to health policy or implementation. This evidence brief describes international policy and practice relating to referral for radiological tests in a selection of other jurisdictions which includes New Zealand, Canada (Alberta), England and Sweden.
The evidence brief was requested by the Strategic Workforce Planning Unit in the Department of Health and is provided through an evidence synthesis service, operated by the Research Services and Policy Unit of the Department in collaboration with the Health Research Board (HRB), which is designed to support evidence-informed decision making in the Department of Health.
The evidence brief does not include consultation with stakeholders such as CORU and or an examination of the legislative requirements.
The findings of a HRB review on Radiological Tests regarding who should refer found that there are advantages to allowing physiotherapists to refer for X-ray and other radiological tests, and that the risks of physiotherapists with advanced training referring patients for radiological medical procedures in order to assess musculoskeletal conditions do not appear very different to those of medical practitioners. Policy development and relevant legislative changes are required to allow this to happen in Ireland. The Department is considering the findings of the evidence brief and consulting with colleagues regarding the necessary regulatory and legislative requirements.
