Re[2]: A question of ethics

[BRZGV@ccmail.ceco.com]

     I think it would not be too unreasonable to say that the health care 
     community just doesn't care or is ignorant and doesn't care.  Wouldn't 
     it be easy to charge each patient another $500.00 for an Excel 
     spreadsheet dose calculation.  Maybe they're afraid the relatively 
     large amounts of dose will scare people?  Something else to be sued 
     for?
     
     Patients also get terrible information on clearance rates from 
     doctors.  We frequently get personnel who have received information 
     stating the activity would be gone in 2 or 3 days, while they still 
     alarm our whole-body monitors (~30 nCi) for three weeks or so.  TL-208 
     administrations are what we see most.
     
     Remember doctors are people too and are no more caring or honest than 
     you, I, or anyone else.
     
     Glen Vickers


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: A question of ethics
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at INTERNET
Date:    6/24/96 3:59 PM


Greetings,
     
I have recently undergone back surgery and one of the diagnostic tests 
that was done on me was a bone scan utilizing 29.4mCi of Tc99m.  Having 
some "knowledge" regarding the risks of radiation, I did not ask for a 
disertation on the risks of the procedure.  What I did ask for was an 
idea of what the exposure would be from the Tc99m and got a resounding "I 
don't know"!  I did not ask the MD, I questioned the nucmedtech.  My 
question for the members of RADSAFE is "shouldn't the med tech have some 
idea of the exposure or is it something that he/she is not allowed to 
talk about/tell the patient?" Is this something I should've asked the MD 
if I really wanted to know? Would I have gotten an answer? I guess I 
could've calculated my exposure but never got around to it. BTW, I was 
reading ~10mRem/hr on contact with my lower back (kidneys, bladder etc.).
     
I apologize if I brought up something already discussed, but like I 
said, I just got back to the office after 5 weeks recuperating from 
surgery.
     
Denis Rinkacs
RSO, Carnegie Mellon University
dr4i@andrew.cmu.edu
412-268-3221