Medical training war stories -Reply

[Gerald Nicholls <GNICHOLL@dep.state.nj.us>]

A radiologist who heard me speak once on radioactivity in the environment subsequently asked me to give a talk to interns and nursing students at a local hospital on the subject of exposure to radiation in daily life.  I made an an attempt to present the various sources of radiation and how they each contributed to the "average" exposure received by individuals.  At the end of the presentation, there was a spirited discussion as to whether my data was "correct" for medical procedures versus exposures from nuclear power and natural background.  Finally, a senior radiologist agreed that I had properly cited my material but stated that he did not agree with some of my sources (NCRP, ICRP, UNSCEAR, NEXT, etc.).  At the very end of the presentation, an intern asked why information such as I had discussed had not been part of his training and, in particular, why an attending physician at the hospital had recently written a prescription calling for one AP chest film per day for 30 days for a particular patient.  I deferred to the physicians present who bantered the issue back and forth.  The closing remark on the discussion was from another senior radiologist who stated that "No x-ray ever given in this hospital ever harmed anyone."

At another hospital I was asked to observe the technique of students in their x-ray technology program.  I observed one young woman putting cotton balls moistened with water over the closed eyes of patients lying on the table.  When one of the patients asked the reason for the cotton balls, the technologist said that it was part of their procedure to reduce exposure to radiation since the eyes were very radiation sensitive.  Sure enough, in reviewing their written procedures, I found a  statement describing the procedure signed off by both the senior rad tech and the Radiology Department Head.

At another hospital, I was once told by a jovial radiologist that, when x-raying infants, the "smart" techs got a nursing student or candy striper to hold the baby during the x-ray procedure.

If you extend your question to dentists, you'll find some other interesting "war stories".  One dentist in practice for many years told me that he would never use lead aprons or shields on his patients when x-raying their teeth because it would destroy the bond of trust he had built up with them over the years.

Fortunately, these incidents occurred some years ago and, hopefully, the training of all concerned has improved since then.

Gerald Nicholls



>>> "Rene Michel" <remichel@ucsd.edu> 07/20/00 03:17pm >>>
Neon and other radsafe members,

I'm interested in hearing some of the "wild war stories" Neon mentioned and
any experiences other radsafe members have had in this area.  If possible,
please, avoid mentioning the names of the individuals and/or institutions
involved in these stories.
I think we all can learn from such "war stories" and they can certainly be
useful in justifying additional training for MDs that lack instruction in
radiation safety.
Thanks!
Ren&THgr;
remichel@ucsd.edu

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