[ RadSafe ] Errors expose patients to radiation

[Stabin, Michael]

>Some people are annoyed by reports of "overexposures" to nuclear power
workers.  I have the annoyance to patient overexposure reports.

I understand this. The issue for me is one of tone. Any good HP,
regardless of his/her view on LNT, will want to limit overexposures,
misadministrations, etc. of radiology or nuclear medicine exams to as
low a rate as possible. That's just good practice. Every physician,
hospital administrator wants the same. So if the tone is "yes, this
happens at a low rate, are there any systematic problems that can be
perhaps identified to drive the rate lower?", that is fine with me. When
it's "look at what these incompetent fools are doing and how many extra
cancers we are causing", I get quite irritated, too.



Mike

Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP
Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences 
Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences 
Vanderbilt University 
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37232-2675 
Phone (615) 343-0068
Fax   (615) 322-3764
Pager (615) 835-5153
e-mail     michael.g.stabin at vanderbilt.edu 
internet   www.doseinfo-radar.com