Final answer:
Lowering tube output and using pediatric imaging protocols can help reduce CT scan dose to pediatric patients. Isotopes with short half-lives are used in medical imaging to limit the duration of radiation exposure, aligning with the principle of minimizing diagnostic radiation doses.
Step-by-step explanation:
To reduce CT scan dose to pediatric patients, one effective approach is to lower the tube output, which directly reduces the amount of radiation used during the scan. Additionally, employing pediatric imaging protocols can optimize the scanning process to minimize radiation exposure while still achieving diagnostic-quality images. Increasing scan time would not reduce the radiation dose, in fact, it could potentially increase the dose. Increasing radiation dose would be counterproductive as the goal is to reduce radiation exposure to the patient. Utilizing isotopes with short half-lives in medical imaging is one way to limit the dose because these isotopes decay quickly, thus reducing the duration of radiation exposure. In terms of radiation dose, the major difference between medical diagnostic uses of radiation and medical therapeutic uses is that diagnostic doses are designed to be as low as possible to minimize risk, while therapeutic doses are higher as they are used to treat diseases like cancer.