Radiation Shielding Is for All Patients Not Just Those of Reproductive Age In the medical field, basic patient care is something that should be practiced every day. In hospitals and clinics around the United States, one will find groups of people who have undergone years of training and are there to hopefully provide the best patient care they can. Yet every day thousands of practitioners seem to have forgotten the basics of not only protecting patients but themselves as well. More specifically, in the field of radiology, it seems that one of the basics of patient and technologist protections, shielding, has become second place, and used in a manner that deviates from its intended purpose. After witnessing many misuses and even no use …show more content…
Technologists will either not shield at all or base their shielding on whether the patient is of childbearing years or not. Although shielding is used to protect the gonadal regions, future and present technologists have been taught that shielding is used for protection from unnecessary radiation for many other reasons and not just to protect the reproductive organs. On more than one occasion, during observations at many sites, the lack of shielding during procedures will be mentioned and more times than not, the reply is typical that it is within the site's protocol as the patient is not of childbearing years. As a student, one should never question the procedures of the site or technologists and it is normally not brought up after the initial inquiry, however, this does not mean that the shielding protocol of the site is in the best interest of the patient. Some sites are even worse in their practice of shielding, typically only shielding young females and few other patients. But, how does one, as a student, go about trying to change this bad practice and not interfere or question the people who are providing their time to mentor this
Patient safety one of the driving forces of healthcare. Patient safety is defined as, “ the absence of preventable harm to a patient during the process of healthcare or as the prevention of errors and adverse events caused by the provision of healthcare rather than the patient’s underlying disease process. (Kangasniemi, Vaismoradi, Jasper, &Turunen, 2013)”. It was just as important in the past as it is day. Our healthcare field continues to strive to make improvement toward safer care for patients across the country.
The code of conduct for medical radiations practitioners outlined by the Medical Radiations Practice Board of Australia (2014) states to assist and support practitioners to deliver suitable effective services with an ethical framework to highlight elements of good practice and professional behavior amongst patient-colleague relationships. Within Section 1.2 of the code “Professional values and qualities”, states that “Practitioners must have their own beliefs and values, there are certain professional values on which practitioners are expected to prioritize their patients and safely conduct practice regardless of setting to provide best “duty of care for patients …and to practice safely and effectively “(Medical Radiation Practice Board of
One of the primary goals of patient care has been safety for a long time. How patient safety is regulated has changed throughout history. Between 1917 and 1918, the American College of Surgeons developed The Minimum Standards for Hospitals which was a one page document that lead to The Joint Commission (TJC, 2014). Founded in 1951 with accreditation beginning January 1953, TJC is currently the oldest and largest organizations setting standards for patient safety (TJC, 2014). The American College of Surgeons required ethics for physicians in 1951 (TJC, 2014). Today TJC and other credentialing organizations require all staff, clinical or not, to participant in patient safety goals. Regardless of the organization you work for, patient safety will
Patient safety is of major concern in healthcare settings due to the preventable nature of events that sometimes lead to serious injury, and even death, for patients. This was catapulted to the forefront of healthcare delivery in 1999 when the Institute of Medicine wrote a scathing report; To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, that highlighted "the lack of safety for patients in healthcare organizations" (Ulrich and Kear 2014). The National Patient Safety
As health care workers we are under a legal obligation to protect an individual from any kind of abuse, whether it is physical, financial, emotional, sexual or psychological .Legislation, policies and procedures exist to promote a safer working environment and reduce the potential for risks occurring. They are tailored for the needs of each setting, known and understood by employers and employees and reviewed on a regular basis.
The exact amount of radiation a child is exposed to during an MBS is unknown. To reduce radiation exposure, the client should be covered with protective shields and exposure time should be kept under a minute and a half. Radiation exposure for children at such a young age is a concern because these children are often exposed to multiple forms of radiation in their first few years of life, such as x-rays as well. Family preference may determine the use of FEES vs. MBS due to radiation concerns. Since a FEES does not have time restraints, it allows the clinician to teach, educate, and monitor the client’s behavior during intervention. Although this is also an option while doing a MBS, the more compensatory strategies tried out, the more radiation the child is undergoing. Another advantage FEES holds over MBS or VFSS is the use of the sensory evaluation (FEESST). A puff of air can be administered to test the laryngeal adductor (swallow) reflex. FEESST is the only swallowing evaluation that directly tests airway protection by determining if the larynx can fulfill its airway protection function, while at the same time assessing bolus transfer. This
Patient safety is number one in hospitals. Every staff member that comes into contact with a patient should always have the question, “Will the patient be safe?” in the back of
I recall instructors sharing stories about their personal experience related to patient safety. One of the instructors shared a personal experience of being subpoenaed to court to testify in a case. She stated the event took place four years prior and barely remembered the circumstances but her charting protected her from any wrong doing. We also watched films and discussed topics of safety that focused on patient safety from the patients perceptive. For instance, medication errors that caused harm or death, patient elopement, and wrong site surgeries to name a few. As a nursing student, I recall being terrified at the thought of being responsible for any safety issues that would harm or injure your patient.
For instance, the biggest challenge is likely to be the degradation of our health. As the Earth is now, we still suffer health problems caused by the UV radiation that enters our biosphere right now, before ozone is depleted even more so. The biggest health issue caused by UV radiation is cancer of the skin. Whilst exposure to UV radiation will often allow you to tan, it can be very dangerous because there is a very thin line between exposure and over-exposure and this is where the idea of skin cancer comes from. Exposure to UVB radiation means that it will enter just the top layers of your skin and give you a nice brown tan. However, if you spend too long under the UVB radiation’s source, most commonly the Sun, it will penetrate into your
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner has become an ideal tool for various clinical diagnosis and frequently used because it is not using ionizing radiation (1). Despite of that fact, it does not prevent that MRI environment could be unsafe for patients and workers at the same time under different circumstances such as negligence and the patients themselves. A comprehensive MRI safety training to protect patients and other healthcare workers from potential bio-effects and risks of the magnetic fields in an MRI suite is therefore essential. The knowledge of the purpose of safety zones in an MRI suite as well as MRI appropriateness criteria is important for all healthcare professionals who will work in the MRI environment or refer patients for MRI scans Sammet S et al.
Use available evidence to suggest reasons for the differences in range of electromagnetic radiation detected by humans and other animals
Physicians must ask themselves, “Is this CT the best examination to diagnose this condition in the child?” (National Cancer Institute, 2012). CT scans are quick, prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary surgeries; however, there are two alternatives: ultrasound and MRI. Communication between pediatric physicians and radiologists is extremely important in minimizing radiation exposure (National Cancer Institute, 2012). The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging is a great source for physicians, medical physicists and technologists to gain knowledge on how to minimize radiation exposure on pediatric
Ps 47:9 | “The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.” Before 1958, when Explorer I was launched into space, this passage was used to convey the princes were the shields of the Earth. With the discovery of the Van Allen Radiation Belts (V.A.R.B.), this word play can be seen as a new simile: princes are a kingdoms protector as V.A.R.B. is to the shield of the Earth.
A radiologic technologist has a special role in their field. They create the technologist they want to become. As a radiologic technologist the ASRT enforces the code of ethics. There are ten code of ethics of follow in order to be a “professional”. All of them are important but there are three in particular that I find to be superior to the others. First one is “The radiologic technologist conducts herself of himself in a professional manner, responds to patient needs and supports colleagues and associates in providing quality patient care” (ASRT, 2003). This one is important because the technologist is expected to perform excellence. Their concerns are for the patients and coworkers. Technologist needs to put priorities above their needs.
Radiation is often negatively connotated; however, this impression is inappropriate. Radiation is extremely beneficial in the standards of medicine and is a very predominant as well as an effective way of not only creating energy, but testing how old a fossil is or even how a substance will stand to the test of time. On behalf of the advancements brought to the surface by these developments, the possibility of genetically altering crops with radiation has become possible. With the advancements brought to the light in the early twentieth century, gamma radiation began to hold its own. Gamma radiation is extremely beneficial to society because of its contributions the agrarian culture in the world.