Blogging from the AAPM
Print version
Email to a friend
Beginning Sat., July 27 I will be blogging from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) meeting in Houston.
As part of Flesh and Stone's mission to make science, particularly medical science, more accessible to the public, and "look at how medical and scientific discoveries are influenced by politics and the economy," I will be providing updates from the AAPM meeting here begining Sat., July 27.
This will be my first conference blogging session since launching Flesh and Stone in February. It won't be completely "live" since I'll be reporting on some of the new science being presented for some client publishers, but I intend to share some insights and news from this integral, yet little-understood field of medicine.
Integral? Yes. For example, here's a summary of The Top Five Ways Medical Physics Has Changed Healthcare prepared by the American Institute of Physics.
And here's an exerpt from a summary of what medical physicists do from RJ Vetter at the Radiation Safety Office of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN:"Medical health physics is the profession dedicated to the protection of healthcare providers, members of the public, and patients from unwarranted radiation exposure. Medical health physicists must be knowledgeable in the principles of health physics and in the applications of radiation in medicine. Advances in medical health physics require the definition of problems, testing of hypotheses, and gathering of evidence to defend changes in health physics practice and to assist medical practitioners in making changes in their practices as appropriate. Advances in radiation medicine have resulted in new modalities and procedures, some of which have significant potential to cause serious harm.... Medical health physicists must continue to gather evidence to support intelligent but practical methods for protection of personnel, the public, and patients as modalities and applications evolve in the practice of medicine."
Like all medical specialities, medical physicists must grapple with safety, ethics, regulation, and the overall state of health care delivery, including costs driven partly by technology. I'll be discussing that next week, too.
I may be able to enlist a guest blogger or two, so check back on this thread starting Saturday.
Also see: Blogging from the AAPM: Of posters, smart people, and my immediate surroundings
del.icio.us |
Digg
Post your comment