Communicating Risk with the Patient
Richard Vetter, Ph.D.
Diagnosis and treatment of disease
are not risk free and lead to many challenges. Current challenges include
congressional and regulatory pressure to address vulnerability of radiation
sources and patient demands to improve communication of radiation risk. This
presentation will discuss the impact of new security regulations and
trustworthiness evaluations designed to mitigate vulnerability.
Communication of radiation risk to patients remains challenging. The
physician is in the best position to communicate risk to patients, but many
physicians do not understand radiation risk and are unable to communicate
risk adequately. This presentation will describe what health and medical
physicists can do to help physicians understand radiation risk, how the
medical system can help communicate patient risk through publications aimed
at patients, how professional organizations can help through the production
of educational materials aimed at physicians and the public, and how
organizational alliances can encourage and enhance communication and
encourage optimization of radiation dose.
Click here for the complete
2009 John C. Villforth Lecture
by Richard J.
Vetter, Ph.D. (MS PowerPoint)
Richard J. Vetter is a Professor of Biophysics, College of Medicine, Mayo
Clinic.