The Minster Practice, Lichfield
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Legislation covering the use of X-rays in the investigation of patients' problems has introduced stringent controls largely to protect such patients. We now have to justify all X-rays before they can be taken and if we fail in our duty we are committing a criminal offence. We have been issued with guidelines regarding X-rays and cannot breach these without running the risk of criminal prosecution. As a broad principle, X-rays are only indicated if a change in clinical management could result depending on the X-ray findings. Patients can no longer insist on having an X-ray if such an investigation falls outside the guidelines. Equally, the radiographer may be committing a criminal offence if we have not provided sufficient relevant clinical information. Sometimes this will mean a delay in having your X-ray whilst all parties confirm that we are all acting within the law.
Source: The Times Date: 30/01/2004 Research from Cancer Research UK and Oxford University has found that about 700 cancer cases a year are caused by the use of diagnostic X-rays. The research, published in The Lancet, used mathematical models to estimate the number of cancers caused in Britain and 14 other industrialised countries. The research showed that 0.6 per cent of the 124,000 patients found to have cancer each year can attribute the disease to X-ray exposure. In comparison with the other 14 countries involved in the study, Britain had one of the lowest estimates of X-ray associated cancer cases. Researchers said that the figure reflected the lower use of X-rays in Britain.
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