RHYTHM: Radiation, Health, Safety and Quality for Youth
A Comprehensive Approach to Justification, Optimisation, and Education
A Comprehensive Approach to Justification, Optimisation, and Education
The RHYTHM project is working to make medical imaging safer and more effective for children, teenagers, and young adults. These patients are more sensitive to radiation, so it’s especially important to use imaging methods carefully and wisely.

The project focuses on scans that use radiation, such as CT, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and CT scans used in radiotherapy planning. It aims to solve several key problems, including:

  • using scans when they aren’t really needed;
  • limited access to imaging machines designed specifically for children;
  • not enough training for doctors, healthcare workers, and patients about safe imaging.

To address these issues, RHYTHM brings together experts from healthcare, industry, regulators, and patient groups. Its goals include:

  • creating evidence-based guidelines to help doctors decide when and how to scan;
  • developing safe, standardized imaging protocols adapted for young patients;
  • building a large European database to compare radiation doses and image quality, so hospitals can learn from each other and improve practices.

The project also puts strong emphasis on education and awareness. It will provide training for healthcare professionals using courses, online videos, and case studies, and share these widely through platforms like EuroSafe Imaging. Outreach campaigns will also target parents, young adults, and healthcare providers to raise awareness about safe and effective imaging.

UMCG Work Packages

Within the project, Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of the UMCG leads the task on optimization of hybrid imaging in paediatric care, involving PET/CT and SPECT/CT imaging.

More about RHYTHM

RHYTHM is co-funded under the EU4Health Programme 2021–2027 under grant agreement no. 101232948. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

co-funded by the european union