The matter of medical x-radiation dosing is surfacing again. I wrote a post about this in 2009.
Let’s get to the core of the matter. Physicians need to take charge of this since only they have any real control. It’s a pretty goddamned simple concept. Doc’s who are calling for x-ray’s need to begin recording calculated dosing from this hazardous energy. If it is too troublesome for them, then the x-ray techs should record the information.
CT scanning seems to be problematic. There is no business incentive to hold back on CT use in for-profit settings. I suppose that documentation would only reveal the extent and magnitude of x-ray use. It would be fodder for malpractice law firms.
I can just see the billboards- Have you or a loved one ever gotten a tan from x-rays? If you have, call Dooleysquat, Schwartz and Schmuck for a free consultation. Do it Now!
Lamentations on Chemistry 
Personal experience?
No. A semester of radiochemistry in grad school with lots of rad health calculations. As you wisely pointed out back in the day, I have difficulty with authority. \;-)
Let’s face it, if a patient goes to different doctors (maybe for different specialties) and also goes to a dentist, only the patient can know what his/her total dose might be.
What’s wrong with asking that the person himself be responsible for his or her own record keeping to keep track of total dosage. What the specialists (the doctors or lab techs) can do is provide the information in a consistent, easily understood form.
When push comes to shove, each of us is answerable for our own health. We may call on professionals for advice and guidance, but it’s poor judgment to delegate the decision to another, however medically competent they may be.
The buck stops with you.
I agree with the notion of taking personal responsibility. That is the most fool proof approach. Still, the free exercise of x-ray tomography without some accounting system for dose or exposure seems a bit too slack.
I have asked physicians probing questions about such things and on several occasions been flooded with incomprehensible strings of jargon intended to shut me up. Rather than inflame the guy who is about to treat me, I chose to take the passive route and shut up. Being sick is not for the faint of heart.
Physicians like to give the probe, not receive it.
Personal responsibility for keeping track of one’s radiation doses is all well and good until you get sick enough to impair cognition, which is what most serious illness do. What about the 1 – 2 % of the population with IQs under 70, or the 1% with schizophrenia, or the .. , or the …
These are all good, but lets add to the list pediatric patients – so there are many patient populations that one cannot expect to be capable of personal responsibility.
I’ll vote for a common sense statement by the AMA or whoever that a patient’s exposure should be recorded at a central location (can we say universal health care) – and then it would not be hard to make it so that the tech records the dosage and software sends a message when/if your dosing becomes problematic.
You get the idea…
Having a central data repository makes sense, so long as it isn’t misused. I’m thinking about insurance companies looking for excuses to deny coverage or Big Brother looking for other reasons. How do we balance the utility with the social risks?