Professional Evaluation of Paediatric Imaging Services at National Hospital Abuja: Capacity, Quality, and Workforce

Paediatric imaging represents a technically specialised domain requiring dedicated equipment, child-appropriate immobilisation strategies, radiation dose optimisation protocols, and staff trained in paediatric communication and care. At National Hospital Abuja, the paediatric imaging service capacity and quality standards warrant professional evaluation given the hospital's national tertiary referral function and the growing diagnostic imaging needs of its paediatric patient population. This study professionally evaluates the paediatric imaging service capacity, quality, and workforce at National Hospital Abuja. A professional service evaluation design is applied, combining a structured capacity assessment of paediatric imaging equipment, protocols, and facilities with a survey of 40 radiology staff on paediatric imaging training, experience, and competency self-assessment. Audit of 200 paediatric imaging examinations against ALARA dose optimisation criteria and positioning quality standards provides objective service quality data. Descriptive statistics and compliance analysis are performed in SPSS. Available paediatric radiology service evaluation literature from North Central Nigerian national hospitals identifies absence of dedicated paediatric exposure technique charts and limited paediatric sedation imaging capacity as the primary service quality gaps. The ACR Practice Parameter for Communication of Diagnostic Imaging Findings and the IAEA paediatric imaging reference guide provide the professional standards. Findings are expected to reveal adequate equipment but significant protocol and workforce specialisation deficiencies. Recommendations address a dedicated paediatric imaging protocol set, paediatric radiology training for all radiology staff, and a supervised sedation pathway for paediatric cross-sectional imaging at National Hospital Abuja. Keywords: paediatric imaging, service evaluation, National Hospital Abuja, workforce, North Central Nigeria.