BTEC Applied Science Unit 21C - Radiation health and safety (Distinction)
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Course
Unit 21 - Medical Physics Applications
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Exemplar assignment for Unit 21C of BTEC Level 3 Applied Science. This assignment was given a distinction. If you take anything from this assignment, PLEASE put it in your own words otherwise it will count as plagiarism. I hope it helps!
C: Understand health and safety associated risks, side effects and limitations of ionising
and non-ionising instrumentation techniques in medical applications
Health and safety with medical radiation technologies
This manual will outline the health and safety precautions that should be taken when using a range of medical
imaging technologies, in order to be compliant with the Health and Safety Executive legislation.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government organisation in charge of regulating occupational health
and safety in the United Kingdom [1]. The HSE's proposals are regulated by the government [1]. It owns both
primary and secondary law, such as the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 [1].
Hazards
Gamma knife surgery, X-rays, CT scans and radiotherapy all include the use of ionising radiation. Ionising radiation
can cause DNA mutation and damage to cells because it is able to penetrate tissues in the body. Therefore,
exposure to ionising radiation could increase the risk of cancer to both the patient and operator. However, the
radiation used in radiotherapy can pass through organs located near the targeted area, which may cause damage to
these areas. Gamma knife surgery tends to carry fewer side effects than radiotherapy. Proton beam therapy is a
procedure similar to radiotherapy except it differs from radiotherapy because the radiation is able to directly
penetrate the target area, without passing through or causing damage to neighbouring regions in the body.
One of the hazards that may arise from MRI, CT scans and radiotherapy is that the patient may experience
claustrophobia whilst entering the machine. A concern for MRI is the loud noise that the machine can make when it
rotates. MRIs also produce a strong magnetic field which can attract all ferromagnetic material. This hazard can also
affect people with metal implants, artificial pacemakers and cochlear implants.
The risks for ultrasound are generally low for the patient but the operator may develop bad posture from sitting in a
chair all day, resulting in muscular pain and even possibly repetitive strain injuries from gripping the ultrasound
wand constantly. If prolonged exposure is used on the patient, it can lead to tissue heating, which can cause
damage to organs and tissues.
Side effects
X-rays, gamma knife surgery and CT scans could cause sickness and hair loss due to the ionising radiation that is
used. However for CT scans, sickness may occur as a result of an allergic reaction to the contrast dye used, but CT
scans do not have any long term side effects. For gamma knife surgery, ionising radiation can also cause swelling in
the area that was treated, this is more likely to happen if the affected area was under intense radiation exposure
[2]. As a result, the patient may experience abnormal feelings or fits [2]. X rays and gamma knife surgery can also
cause bleeding. For gamma knife surgery, bleeding can occur from where the head frame was placed. For X rays,
bleeding can occur from the nose, mouth, gums or rectum [3]. Both prenatal ultrasound and internal ultrasound do
not carry any long term side effects but some may experience discomfort from procedures such as transvaginal
ultrasound and rectal ultrasound. A patient may also be allergic to the latex that the ultrasound probe is made from.
Precautions
Certain precautions can be taken in order to prevent the risks associated with ionising radiation. The operator can
use a dosimeter to measure and monitor the dose of radiation emitted from a medical application. These are worn
to prevent the patient from receiving a harmful dose of radiation. This precaution is outlined in Regulation 6 of the
‘Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations’ (2017). It is important to use a safe dose of radiation during the
procedure. This could be done by spacing out short doses of radiation, rather than using one large dose. Using short
doses allows time for damaged cells to recover between doses. There is a maximum legal annual limit to effective
doses given during CT scans. 10 mSv is an effective dose for CT scans; if a dose greater than this amount is given to a
patient, then the radiation may permanently damage cells.
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