Radiation Protection in Hospitals and the Role of the Medical Physics Expert' EFOMP Position K'J'Ols

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Radiation Protection in Hospitalsand the Role
of the Medical Physics Expert. EFOMP
PositionK.J.Olsen,Chairman EFOMP Committee on
Registration
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Introduction

• The European Federation of Organisations for
  Medical Physics (EFOMP) was founded in May 1980
  in London to serve as an umbrella to all National
  Member Organisations for Medical Physics (NMO) in
  Europe.
• Current membership covers 36 NMOs for Medical
  Physics which together represent more than 6000
  physicists and engineers in the field of Medical
  Physics
• The main objective To harmonise and promote
  best practice of MP in Europe

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The Policy Statements

• Unanimously adopted documents
• Making recommendations
• on the appropriate general responsibilities and
  roles of the Medical Physicist
• to implement Continuing Professional Development
  for Medical Physicists
• Proposing guidelines
• for Education, Training and Accreditation
  programmes in Medical Physics.
• on Professional Conduct

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The Policy Statementsand EU Directives

• No. 3 Radiation Protection of the Patient in
  Europe The Training of the Medical Physicist as
  a Qualified Expert in Radiophysics, (1988).
• EFOMP response to the Directive 84/466 Euratom
• No. 9 Radiation Protection of the Patient in
  Europe The Training of the Medical Physics
  Expert in Radiation Physics or Radiation
  Technology. Physica Medica XV (1999) 149-153
• EFOMP response to the Directive 97/43 Euratom on
  health protection of individuals against the
  dangers of ionising radiation in relation to
  medical exposure, (The MED)

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New EFOMP recommendations on Education,
Training and CPD of Medical Physicists (2008)
Basic Education Level of degree Physical
Science, Engineering or equivalent 3 - 4 years
(180 - 240 ECTS) Postgraduate Education Level of
Master Master on Medical Physics 1 - 2 years (up
to 300 ECTS)
University
5 years

Hospital(On-the-job training)
Postgraduate TrainingPractical Part min. 2
years professional work
2 years
Registration as Qualified Medical Physicist
7 years
Continuing Professional Development 5- year
cycle Credit point system
Special Courses, Workshops, Congresses
etc.,Self-directed learning
Registration as Specialist Medical Physicist
eq. Medical Physics Expert
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• The Specialist Medical Physicist
• Within the EU, as defined in the Medical Exposure
  Directive 2 in relation to medical exposure,
  the Medical Physics Expert is equivalent to the
  Specialist Medical Physicist. In other
  disciplines, the term Medical Physics Expert is
  not relevant.
• The Qualified Medical Physicist qualifies to
  become a Specialist Medical Physicist by gaining
  advanced clinical experience and undergoing
  specialist training of at least five further
  years duration, mostly in one sub-speciality,
  within the first period of an EFOMP approved
  National CPD Scheme. (i.e., total education
  training at least 12 years).

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• The Specialist Medical Physicist
• The Specialist Medical Physicist is competent to
  give advice on all professional matters in their
  sub-speciality.
• The Specialist Medical Physicist may have a
  formal recognition from a National Competent
  Authority and should continue to be enrolled in
  an EFOMP approved National Register for Medical
  Physicists.

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Radition Protection in Hospitals

• The Directive 97/43 defines the medical physics
  expert as
• an expert in radiation physics or radiation
  technology applied to exposure ,within the scope
  of this Directive, whose training and competence
  is recognized by the competent authorities

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• Medical Physics Expert
• And who as appropriate acts or gives advice on
  patient dosimetry,on the development and use of
  complex techniques and equipment, on
  optimization,on quality assurance including
  quality control and other matters relating to
  radiation protection, concerning exposure within
  the scope of this Directive.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• Medical exposures continues to constitute the
  major source of exposure from artificial sources
  of ionising radiation and their use has enabled
  great progress to be made in many aspects of
  medicine.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• Malaga Declaration of EFOMP
• Medical Physics Experts( or SMPs) have a formal
  education and training in radiation protection as
  applied to medical activities.
• Medical Physics Experts have the necessary skill
  to manage the equipment used in hospital to
  produce and detect radiation.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• These practices need to be carried out in
  optimised radiation protection conditions as
  recommended by the International Commission of
  Radiological Protection, recognising the
  development of scientific knowledge in the field
  of radiation protection applied to medical
  exposure.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• This was the basis for adoption of the Directive
  97/43 Euratom of June 30 1997 on health
  protection of individuals against the dangers of
  ionising radiation in response to medical
  exposures.
• This directive introduces the term Medical
  Physics Expert.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• Medical Physics Experts have a relatively long
  practical training in Hospitals.
• Clinical Professionals regard Medical Physics
  Experts as invaluable specialists who facilitate
  the safe use of radiation in hospitals.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• The Radiation Protection of patients,staff and
  hospital visitors is interconnected.For that
  reason in many European Hospitals the
  responsibility for radiation protection of
  patients,staff and visitors falls to Medical
  Physics Experts.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• Quality Assurance and Quality Control in
  Radiotherapy,Nuclear Medicine and X-ray diagnosis
  is normally done by medical physics experts. The
  results of these activties have clear
  implications in radiation protection.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• The Council of EFOMP at its meeting of the 6th of
  October 2006 in Malaga declared that
  The Medical Physics Expert as defined in
  Directive 97/43 must be the professional to
  supervise and assume the responsibility of the
  Radiation Protection activities in Hospitals,
  including patients, working staff, members of the
  public and visitors to the Hospitals.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• The Medical Physics Expert is the Qualified
  Expert as defined by Directive 96/29/EURATOM, in
  Hospital environment.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• Radiation protection in hospitals requires a
  thorough knowledge of diagnostic and therapeutic
  procedures,human radiobiology and anatomy as well
  as implementation of equipment quality assurance
  programmes, radiation protection of the patient
  and hospital personnel,facility shielding
  design,teaching and training hospital personnel
  in radiation protection.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• For these reasons EFOMP through its policy
  statements( www.efomp.org) have clearly stated
  the role and responsibilities of the Medical
  Physicist with regards to radiation protection in
  hospital environment. The latest declaration on
  this issue was the Malaga declaration in October
  2006.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals

• During the preparation for this EUTERP workshop
  the EUTERP platform has attempted to produce a
  review document on the Radiation Protection
  Expert (RPE) to replace the MPE.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• EFOMP objects strongly to EUTERP attempting to
  define the role and responsibilities of the
  Medical Physicists for radiation protection in
  the hospital environment.
• The issue of radiation protection in hospitals
  must be dealt with separately from the EUTERP
  platform.

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Radiation Protection in Hospitals.

• Thank you for your attention

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www.efomp.org