HD31 - The Study of the Needs of X-ray Technicians and Their Practice
Executive Summary: X-rays were discovered in 1895 and by mid-1896 the harmful effects of these rays on skin were beginning to be noted (Glasstone, 1967). Initially, the use of X-rays was restricted to trained scientists doing research on or with X-rays; however, as knowledge about the beneficial uses of these rays in medical diagnosis and therapy grew, the number of those operating X-ray machinery also grew. By 1986, there were 3,329 X-ray tubes being used by the medical professions in Virginia. The discussion of qualifications of X-ray machine operators has been ongoing in the Virginia Radiation Advisory Board meetings since, at least, 1979. House Joint Resolution 12 (1986), House Document 24 (1987), House Bill 91 (1987) and House Joint Resolution 82 (1988) all addressed the efficient and safe use of X-rays. The charge of the Task Force reported upon herein included investigating the safety of X-ray machinery; the competence of X-ray personnel; the implementation of any further regulation and the impact of such regulation. Difficulty was encountered because, at this time, each profession using X-ray technology has a different method for insuring safety and efficiency. The literature does not yet contain adequate data on such topics as methods of monitoring public safety relevant to X-ray use, harm to the public when X-ray personnel are not regulated, or cost to the consumer when X-ray personnel are regulated. Also, the relationship between safe and efficient use of X-ray machinery and the amount and type of training received was perceived as a key issue. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Board of Veterinary Medicine regulations specify extensive minimum requirements for facilities, equipment and safe operation of X-ray equipment with extensive educational and testing requirements, including clinical training. The Virginia Board of Dentistry regulations specify satisfactory completion of a Board-administered examination or satisfactory completion of a course and/or examination in radiation safety from an approved institution or organization. In contrast, the Virginia Board of Medicine has no regulations dealing specifically with the regulation of X-ray equipment operators. Licensed physicians are responsible for the X-ray personnel under their supervision even though the X-rays taken in the private offices of medical doctors or chiropractors may involve relatively large and/or vulnerable areas of the body and therefore persons taking X-rays in those settings are most in need of proper training to insure patient safety. In discussions concerning the various types of regulation, the Task Force strongly favored certification over either registration or licensure. Certification is defined in the Code of Virginia as a form of regulation recognizing persons who have met certain educational and experience standards to engage in an occupation. Although one may practice the occupation without certification, only those who are certified may use the occupational title. In addition, the Task Force recommends that 1) each discipline employing personnel to operate X-ray machinery complete a study of their own rules and regulations to determine adequacy in protecting the public from harm, no later than December 1989 for review by the 1990 General Assembly; 2) the Board of Medicine complete an evaluation and recommendations of methods for public protection to be practiced by licensed practitioners and by the allied health personnel under their supervision, no later than December 1989 for review by the 1990 General Assembly; and 3) the Council on Health Professions examine the methods by which safety is monitored, accumulate data on the harm to the public when no regulation takes place, and accumulate data on costs to the consumer when regulation takes place, no later than December 1989 for review by the 1990 General Assembly. |
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