Patient Exposure Research Paper

There are three problems that are associated with increases in patient exposure which are lack of physician knowledge, lack of patient awareness and physician’s practice of defensive medicine. These issues have led to an increase in patient radiation dose every year. From 1996 to 2010 overexposure due to radiation has doubled. (Bardi, p.2) This is an alarming stat and shows that we need to really focus on this issue in the future. Another alarming stat is that Americans received seven times more radiation exposure from medical tests in 2006 than in the 1980’s. (Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology, p.359) I believe that some of the reason for that is because the machinery has advanced so much over time that an exam can be done …show more content…
X-rays are electromagnetic rays that pass through the patient allowing the radiographer to see inside the patient due to the different types of attenuation of the body. These x-rays can cause harm to a person if used improperly or overexposed. The way they do that is through ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is when the x-ray particle goes into the body and they carry enough energy to remove an electron from an atom, thereby causing biological harm to the recipient. This damage can go as far as death or sterilization, which is why these issues need to be …show more content…
There have been a number of suggestions like tutorials and workshops that can deliver valuable knowledge to the physician regarding radiation. These classes should not be limited to just physicians. I believe that anybody with interest in radiology and radiation should attend. Each hospital should make attendance mandatory for all employees to at least one of these classes. There also should be informational packets readily available within the department. The class can be run just like a CPR course. You would have to get radiation certified every year or