de'MEDICI Safety Program

["Kent N. Lambert" <lambert@auhs.edu>]

Greetings,

For the hospital RSO's:

Is your nursing education department using the de'MEDICI Safety 
Program (a computer based training package) as a part of the general 
safety in-servicing?  

If so, you should look at the radiation safety portions - there are 
some real problems, IMHO.  The good news, however, is that it allows 
each hospital to customize the program (although I think the idea is 
to allow specific locations, phone numbers, etc. to be included).  

Example of some of the statements I found objectionable include:

Q.  What term is used to measure the amount of radiation that can 
cause serious injury to human tissue?  Correct answer: millirem.

Statement:  [Non-radiation workers] include nursing staff.  (I 
believe that nursing staff caring for brachytherapy and 
radiopharmaceutical therapy patients are, indeed, radiation workers.)

Statement:  [Radiation workers are] limited to 260 - 540 mrem of 
radiation per year.  

Statement:  The Radiology/Nuclear Medicine Department contains 
machines that give off radiation.  (with no mention of nuclear 
medicine using radioactive materials)

Q.  Radiation exposure occurs frequently among hospital personnel.  
Correct answer:  False.  

It goes on, but you get the idea.  I'm on my second red pen.  If 
anyone out there is using this system, please contact me 
directly to compare suggested changes.

Kent N. Lambert, M.S., CHP
lambert@auhs.edu
Allegheny University of the Health Sciences
Hahnemann Division
Radiation Physics and Safety, MS 106
Broad and Vine Streets
Philadelphia, PA  19102-1192

215-762-8768 (voice)
215-762-7683 (fax)  

Disclaimer:  All opinions are well reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not (necessarily) the opinions of my employer.