What action should a radiologic technologist take to reduce radiation exposure to a patient?

Restricting the beam to the targeted area of exposure is a fundamental practice in radiology to minimize patient radiation exposure. By confining the radiation beam to only the area of interest, unnecessary exposure to surrounding tissues is significantly reduced. This approach is in line with the principle of as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), which aims to limit radiation exposure to patients while still obtaining the necessary diagnostic information.

In contrast, using a manual exposure system may not inherently reduce radiation exposure; it depends on the operator’s judgment and technique. Increasing exposure time directly leads to more radiation being delivered to the patient, which is counterproductive to reducing exposure. Using a broader beam width would also increase radiation exposure to areas that are not being examined, defeating the purpose of minimizing patient exposure.