Stress Information

Check out this Facebook page from colleagues of ours!

https://www.facebook.com/TheEffectsOfStressOnOurBodies

Don't forget to like the page!

Mammography, 10 Myths Debunked.

Here are some myths debunked about mammography from Dr. Michael Nichols:

Myth 1: Radiation from a screening mammogram can give you breast cancer.

Answer: The radiation received from a screening mammogram is relatively low. Think about what causes a greater risk to your health: having a mammogram, or not detecting a tumor early. Clearly the risk is higher if you skip screening mammograms. Research shows that the risk of dying from breast cancer is about 30% lower for women who have screening mammograms. Remember that your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is approximately 1 in 8 or 9. The chance of getting breast cancer from a mammogram is tiny.

Myth 2: Radiation is supposed to prevent a recurrence, but I think it will cause more breast cancer.

Answer: In considering all women with early stage breast cancer, the risk of recurrence after surgery alone is approximately 40%. With whole breast radiation, that risk drops to around 15%. The risk of a second cancer from the radiation is about one in a thousand to one in ten thousand. In fact, because of improved techniques, the actual number of new cancers caused by radiation may be even lower.

Myth 3: During radiation therapy, you have to take a pill and be covered with lead sheets for protection.

Answer: Medical radiation therapy may be done several ways. Only for specific types of thyroid cancers do you take a pill. In most scenarios, you lay on a treatment table and the radiation is given much in the way that you'd get an X-ray. You won't feel the radiation and it is not painful. No lead shielding is used because the radiation is focused, and the small amount of scatter would not be blocked by a lead sheet.

Myth 4: Radiation treatments for breast cancer are painful.

Answer: On a daily basis, the radiation treatments themselves are never painful. In a few cases, you might have some discomfort or pain related to the positioning because usually you must have your arm raised over your head, as it would be for a breast exam. As treatment progresses, you might develop redness and warmth of the skin. Occasionally your skin will develop a sunburn, which can be painful. Your radiation oncologist will help you with skin care and pain medications if needed. The important thing to remember is that your skin will heal.

Myth 5: Radiation therapy causes horrible side effects.

Answer: Radiation to the breast does not cause vomiting or hair loss (other than underarm hair or other hair that may be within the direct radiation field). Patients having radiation for other cancers, such as stomach cancer or pancreatic cancer, may develop nausea and vomiting. Patients receiving radiation to the head (for example, to treat brain cancer) may lose their hair.

Myth 6: My friend got burned by radiation therapy and lost her breast. Radiation is not safe or precise.

Answer: Occasionally patients will develop a sunburn-type reaction. Although painful at the time, this almost always heals rapidly. It would be extremely rare for this to result in the loss of a breast. Radiation planning is precise and carefully performed by the radiation oncologist. Most cases are discussed with other physicians before starting treatment and shortly after treatment begins for quality control.

Myth 7: We're getting radiation all the time -- from TVs, cell phones, wireless networks, electromagnetic fields, microwave ovens -- so that's why cancer rates are on the rise.

Answer: We are getting radiation all the time, mostly from cosmic radiation from outer space. The level of exposure greatly increases when people are flying in an airplane or exposing themselves to the sun while sunbathing.

The incidence of some cancers is rising. For example, the number of lung cancers has been rising since 1965 but has somewhat leveled off in recent years. The numbers in men seems to be declining while women seem to have reached a plateau. This closely parallels trends in smoking but may also have something to do with improved technology allowing us to detect the cancers at a smaller size. Breast cancers had remained steady for many years but have been decreasing since 1995 possibly due to a decrease in the use of HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

The rates of cancers rising and falling can be difficult to interpret because it is often a complex interplay of the presence of the cancer versus our ability to detect the cancer.

Myth 8: Medical radiation can be overdone or badly aimed, and when that happens, you die a slow and painful death.

Answer: As with any medical procedure, there can be mistakes. Radiation is a wonderful tool that saves countless lives, but it can also harm patients if not delivered safely. Although there has been some recent media attention related to radiation errors, in general this is a rare event. There are numerous, frequent quality control checks -- including simulations -- performed before each treatment. In addition, the treatment machines are designed to shut down if there is a problem with it. Radiation mistakes often gain media attention and that makes them seem common. But tens of thousands of radiation treatments take place in the United States daily, the vast majority without error.

Myth 9: If I have radiation treatments for breast cancer, my genes will mutate and affect my future children.

Answer: Pregnant women should not have radiation. Otherwise, there is no evidence that whole breast radiation for premenopausal women will cause problems later with pregnancy or cause birth defects. Some data suggests that women treated for early stage breast cancer who became pregnant afterward had an improved chance of survival. If you are being treated for breast cancer and considering having children, you should discuss this with your doctor. In addition to radiation, there are also chemotherapy and hormonal treatments that can affect your future fertility.

10. If I get too much radiation, I will turn into SpiderWoman, the Hulk Lady, or I will glow in the dark.

Answer: The amount of radiation given to women for breast cancer is relatively safe. In most cases, it is enough to eradicate the tumor while allowing the normal breast tissue to heal. At no time will you be radioactive. To my knowledge, no one has ever turned into a superhero following radiation.

Information found at http://breastcancer.about.com/od/radiationtherapy/a/radiation-myths.htm

Code of Ethics

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Responsibility to the Public
MRTs act to ensure the trust and respect of the public by:
INDICATORS

• maintaining high standards of professional conduct, competence and appearance;
• providing only those services for which they are qualified by education, training or experience;
• not making false, misleading or deceptive statements, orally or in writing; and 
• advancing and supporting health promotion and research.

2. Responsibility to Patients
MRTs act in the best interests of their patients by:
INDICATORS

• upholding the principle of informed consent including the right of the patient, or the patient’s substitute decision maker, to refuse service;
• respecting the dignity, privacy and autonomy of their patients;
• maintaining clear and appropriate professional boundaries in the MRT – patient relationship;
• treating all patients equitably, regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, same sex partnership status, family status, disability or type of illness;
• providing individualized, comprehensive and safe treatment during examinations or therapy sessions, taking into account the patient’s particular physical and emotional needs, values and cultural background; and 
• preserving and protecting the confidentiality of information acquired through professional contact with the patient, except to facilitate diagnosis or treatment of the patient, or when legally obliged or allowed to disclose such information.

3. Responsibility to the profession
MRTs promote excellence in the profession by:
INDICATORS

• assisting each other and the CMRTO in upholding the spirit and the letter of the law, the Regulated Health Professions and Medical Radiation Technology Acts, their respective regulations and the standards of practice set by the CMRTO; 
• contributing to the development of the art and science of medical radiation technology through continuing education and research; and
• conducting all professional activities, programs and relations honestly and responsibly, and by avoiding any actions that might discredit the profession.

4. Responsibility to Colleagues and other Health Professionals
MRTs develop and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with colleagues and other health professionals by:
INDICATORS

• consulting with, referring to and co-operating with other professionals to the extent needed to serve the best interests of their patients;
• ensuring the safety of other health professionals when in practice or in areas under the MRT’s responsibility; and
• educating colleagues and other health professionals about practices and procedures relating to medical radiation technology.

5. Personal Responsibility
MRTs are accountable for all of their professional undertakings and shall:
INDICATORS

• aspire to a high level of professional efficacy at all times;
• maintain and apply current and relevant scientific and professional knowledge and skill in every aspect of practice;
• avoid conflict of interest; and
• provide professional service only when free from the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances or any condition that might impede the delivery of safe service.
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• http://www.cmrto.org/practice/code-ethics.asp

Keep it Confidential

Building on our recent them of low cost high reward strategies for health care organizations.

I'd like to introduce our old friend confidentiality.

Why is patient confidentiality so important in health care?

Firstly, let's talk about what confidentiality is: At it's most basic is, preserving the privacy of the patient who receives care. This not only applies to medical records, but also general patient dignity.

Double gown goes a long way.

So why is this important? Well for starters, lawsuits. In addition, breaches of confidentiality is also a breach of trust. As a patient, will you continue to seek care from someone you don't trust? Exactly.

So, how much can a breach of confidentiality cost the hospital or health care organization? Well take a look at this link:

http://www.londonlitigation.com/Articles/Invasion-of-Privacy-Can-You-Sue-How-Much-Is-It-Worth.shtml

There are some examples, but the common figure is at least in the tens of thousands and that's just in the small claims court. Multiply that by how many breaches of confidentiality there are in a year...well you get the picture.

So how is confidentiality breached? Mostly it's just carelessness. Leaving papers lying around, talking too loudly, losing USB keys, faxing records to the wrong place and whatnot. Then there's theft and really quite low on the list is actual malicious intent.

So, the moral of the story is to be careful and vigilant (that's free!), at best it could cost you patients, at worst, your job and license.

Clean and Pristine

An often overlooked issue within the healthcare field is cleanliness. How important is hospital cleanliness to you?

Have you ever been to a hospital, or clinic, or any health care setting that seemed less than pristine? I have and it isn't pleasant. When you enter a health care organization, you expect a certain amount of cleanliness, nay, sterility to your surroundings. I don't want to feel like I can catch something while sick and in need of health care.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Health/ID/2374400847/

Generally speaking, those seeking health care in a hospital, clinic or otherwise aren't exactly shining bundles of joy and are probably in pain or quite ill. They don't want any additional stress. To me, there's no excuse for a hospital to be anything but pristine.

Thoughts?

Clearly Communicating

Communication is the easiest, cheapest, most elegant solution to providing good health care, and yet it is sometimes not given enough of a spotlight. In fact, poor communication is cited as the reason for over 40% of all malpractice law suits.

Think about it, doesn't matter what kind of state of the art hospital you're in, if health care professionals are not communicating with you properly, you'll have a negative experience.

The following article focuses on doctors, but I think this is a very important issue for all health care professionals.

Essentially, providing good, strong communication skills will increase the perception of positive health care, decrease costs (lawsuits, repeated or redundant procedures) and really foster a good reputation for the organization.

Check it out:
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424127887323628804578346223960774296-lMyQjAxMTAzMDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email#articleTabs%3Darticle

The article states that the great health care machine is finally listening to patient complaints of poor bedside manner. There are now specific classes teaching doctors how to communicate with patients, and how to show empathy and compassion.

Improving communication, it's a win-win scenario. The patients win by having a positive health care experience, the health care system wins by reducing costs all across the board.

Not good:

Let's not get to this point shall we?

Better:

Look at how happy everyone is

Any tips and tricks you guys use for ensuring that communication between you and the patient is always excellent?

Can't see? No problem.

Sometimes dealing with patients that have disabilities can be uncomfortable. We aren't used to interacting with them because we don't usually meet people with disabilities on an everyday basis. But once in a while, MRTs will encounter patients that are blind. Here are some tips:

- When entering a room with a blind patient, address them by name if you know it, and identify yourself by name and title (ex. Hi, my name is __________ and I am an MRT here at the hospital).
- Avoid talking to family members that are with the patient about the patient, as if they weren't there or could not understand you (Does he want something to eat?). They can understand you fine, and want to be addressed personally.
- Try not to move while you're speaking, it's difficult for blind people to concentrate on facing a speaker who moves around a lot.
- When you are finished visiting a patient (ex. on a mobile), it is appropriate to say good-bye with a tap on the person's arm or a handshake. A blind person doesn't have the advantage of seeing your smile or wave or other affirmative body language that you might use.
- When you enter a room, always speak to the patient telling him or her what you plan to do. The patient cannot guess what you will do according to your actions. It is important to explain the procedures completely and guide the patient through the steps.
- When assisting a visually impaired patient around a room, always offer your elbow. You can help them walk around by giving instructions on where things are positioned in the room.
- Relax. Patients that are visually impaired are used to being blind (apart from recent traumas that may have caused the blindness). They are used to people being awkward around them and the best way to get cooperation from your patient is to follow his or her cues.