Maryann Bishop-Jodoin, MEd, is an instructor and scientific writer in the Department of Radiation Oncology, UMass Chan Medical School, USA. She has worked with her co-editor Dr. FitzGerald at the Quality Assurance Review Center for more than twenty-five years. She writes and edits manuscripts, books, grants, and other publications.
The discovery of radiation has enabled great healthcare advances as well as catastrophic injury. This paper reviews major historical incidents of public radiation exposure and the evolution of standards affecting today’s public and health care workers. Current patient care and response assessment to radiation exposure are reviewed. The strengths of modern radiation therapy and the need for continuous process improvements to ensure optimal patient care and secure safe environments are identified. The discovery of radiation has brought significant scientific achievements as well as catastrophic injury.
Part of the book: Essentials of Accident and Emergency Medicine
The discovery of radiation has led to many advances. Guidelines have been created to minimize radiation exposure and treatment management following both unintentional and intentional exposure. The effects of radiation exposure on specific tissues varies. Tragic consequences can result, ranging from severe, acute injury to long- lasting effects that present years after the initial exposure. In this chapter we provide observations that demonstrate the importance of understanding guidelines to minimize radioactive exposure and the expectations and treatment management following exposure. For the safety and well-being of patients, health care professionals need to remain well-informed to minimize the risks of this tool.
Part of the book: Trauma and Emergency Surgery
Technology and computational analytics are moving forward at an extraordinary rate with changes in patient care and department workflows. This rapid pace of change often requires initiating and maintaining the educational support at multiple levels to introduce technology to radiation oncology staff members. Modern physics quality assurance and dosimetry treatment planning now require expertise beyond traditional skill based in computational algorithms and image management including quality assurance of the process of image acquisition and fusion of image datasets. Expertise in volumetric anatomy and normal tissue contouring are skills now performed by physics/dosimetry in collaboration with physicians and these skills are required in modern physics dosimetry training programs. In this chapter, challenges of modern radiation planning are reviewed for each disease site. Skills including future applications of image integration into planning objects and the future utility of artificial intelligence in modern radiation therapy treatment planning are reviewed as these issues will need to be added to modern training programs.
Part of the book: Dosimetry