Real-Life Communication
Medical physicists are responsible for a huge part of the operations
in any cancer clinic or hospital setting. But they do not work alone. They
are part of a team.
They have little to do with front line medical
care, but they are central to the flow of information throughout the clinic.
From bringing in new technologies to making sure that everyone in the clinic
has at least a working understanding of physics, medical physicists have an
integral role in maintaining the health of the clinic.
Medical physicist
Stephen Pistorius says that patients get most of their information from the
physicians and therapists who conduct the day-to-day running of patient care.
But
the medical physicist is never far out of sight. He is constantly interacting
with physicians, researchers, technicians and therapists.
"The role
of the radiation physicist is to support those people," he says. "It is a
very important aspect of our work."
In the event that a medical physicist
discovers a problem with a machine in the clinic, he follows a certain protocol
to resolve the problem.
It is essential to get that machine fixed as
quickly as possible, but also to ensure that the machine is not used for therapy
while it is in repair.
These four points have to be included in a memo
that would explain what to do if staff members discover a broken machine:
- Call the nuclear electronics group to service the machine.
- Inform the therapists scheduled to use the machine that they will have
to use a different one or reschedule their patients.
- Remove the key needed to operate the machine.
- Install the warning flag over the keyboard that indicates to people that
the machine is being repaired.
Write a clear memo that would explain to new staff the procedure
for handling machinery breakdowns.