Communication of benefits and risks
to patients
Kerry Labuschagne
January 2019
Purpose
This document is concerned with the requirement to communicate benefits and risks to
patients prior to an exposure of ionising radiation as required under IRMER17.
Scope
This document covers the current guidance to staff related to the requirement of IRMER17.
Responsibilities
Who is responsible
Dr Andrew Jackson
Practitioners and Operators under
IRMER17
Responsibility
To communicate this document to all staff
concerned.
To ensure they continue current practice until
national guidance is published and put into place
locally.
Procedure
IRMER17, Schedule 2, Regulation 6, Employers Procedures, 1.(i):
The employer’s written procedures for exposures must include a procedure providing that
wherever practicable, and prior to an exposure taking place, the individual to be exposed or
their representative is provided with adequate information relating to the benefits and risks
associated with the radiation dose from the exposure.
There are several different models of calculating risk at the low dose exposures involved in
diagnostic radiology. In examinations involving x-rays the exact dose to an individual is not
known until after the exposure has occurred. This is therefore a very complex subject.
Advice to Radiographers
If a radiographer is asked about the risks of radiation by a patient, it is suggested that they
reply indicating that “your doctor/chiropractor has referred you for this test as they have
Kerry Labuschagne
January 2019
judged that the benefit of making a diagnosis outweighs the risk of having an exposure”.
If pushed for further information, the term ‘negligible risk’ could be used.
Practical application
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
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Patients or their relatives should be offered the pamphlet about radiation
If asked directly, reply as previously mentioned that their chiropractor has judged
that the benefit of the exposure outweighs the risk.
If pushed, answer that the exposure is considered to have ‘negligible risk`.
Kerry Labuschagne
January 2019