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Gamma Knife technology used in radiotherapy.
Gamma Knife technology used in radiotherapy. Gamma Knife® (or Leksell Gamma Knife®) is a device used to treat Brain tumors with a high dose of Radiation therapy in one day Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of Ionizing radiation as part of Cancer treatment to control Malignant

Medical physics is the application of physics to medicine. Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare. Medical imaging refers to the techniques and processes used to create Images of the human body (or parts thereof for clinical purposes ( Medical procedures seeking to Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of Ionizing radiation as part of Cancer treatment to control Malignant A medical physics department may be based in either a hospital or a university and its work is likely to include research, technical development and clinical healthcare. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Research is defined as Human activity based on Intellectual application in the investigation of Matter. Technology development is the process of Research and development of Technology. Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing

Of the large body of medical physicists in academia and clinics, roughly 85% practice or specialize in various forms of therapy, 10% in Diagnostic imaging, and 5% in nuclear medicine. Medical imaging refers to the techniques and processes used to create Images of the human body (or parts thereof for clinical purposes ( Medical procedures seeking to Nuclear medicine is a branch of Medicine and Medical imaging that uses the nuclear properties of matter in diagnosis and therapy [1] Areas of specialty in medical physics however are widely varied in scope and breadth.

Contents

Areas of specialty

Medical imaging

Animation of a stack of vertical MRI sections of a normal adult human brain
Animation of a stack of vertical MRI sections of a normal adult human brain

Treatment of disease

Physiological measurement techniques

ECG trace
ECG trace

Used to monitor and measure various physiological parameters. Photodynamic therapy (PDT matured as a feasible medical technology in the 1980s at several institutions throughout the world is a third-level treatment for Cancer involving LASIK or Lasik ( Laser -assisted In situ Keratomileusis) is a type Nuclear medicine is a branch of Medicine and Medical imaging that uses the nuclear properties of matter in diagnosis and therapy Unsealed source radiotherapy relates to the use of soluble forms of radioactive substances which are administered to the body by injection or ingestion Photomedicine is an interdisciplinary branch of Medicine that involves the study and application of light with respect to health and disease Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of Ionizing radiation as part of Cancer treatment to control Malignant TomoTherapy, or Helical TomoTherapy is a form of CT Guided IMRT or Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, which is a relatively new type of Radiation therapy delivery CyberKnife is the name of a frameless robotic Radiosurgery system invented by John R Gamma Knife® (or Leksell Gamma Knife®) is a device used to treat Brain tumors with a high dose of Radiation therapy in one day Proton therapy is a type of Particle therapy which utilizes a beam of Protons to irradiate diseased tissue most often in the treatment of cancer Brachytherapy (from the Greek brachy, meaning "short" also known as sealed source radiotherapy or endocurietherapy, is a form of Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT is an experimental form of Radiotherapy that utilizes a Neutron beam that interacts with Boron injected to a patient Brachytherapy (from the Greek brachy, meaning "short" also known as sealed source radiotherapy or endocurietherapy, is a form of Electromagnetic waves sent at terahertz frequencies, known as terahertz radiation, submillimeter radiation, terahertz waves, terahertz Many physiological measurement techniques are non-invasive and can be used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, other invasive methods. The term non-invasive in Medicine has two meanings A Medical procedure which does not penetrate mechanically, nor break the Skin The term invasive in Medicine has two meanings A Medical procedure which penetrates or breaks the Skin or a Body cavity, i

Radiation protection

Medical computing and mathematics

CT image reconstruction
CT image reconstruction

Education and training

The primary clinical responsibility of the Qualified Medical Physicist is to "assure the safe and effective delivery of radiation to achieve a diagnostic or therapeutic result as prescribed in patient care (Medical Physics Scope of Practice)". Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS is a Spectroscopic method utilising the near Infrared region of the Electromagnetic spectrum (from about 800 nm to 2500 Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method allowing the monitoring of the Oxygenation of a patient's Hemoglobin. A pulse oximeter is a Medical device that indirectly measures the oxygen saturation of a patient's Blood (as opposed to measuring oxygen saturation directly through Blood pressure is also the title of a short story by Damon Runyan in Guys and Dolls and Other Stories Background radiation is the Ionizing radiation emitted from a variety of natural and artificial Radiation sources Radiation protection, sometimes known as radiological protection, is the science of protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of Ionizing radiation Radiation dosimetry is the calculation of the Absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from the exposure to Ionizing radiation. Health physics is a field of science concerned with radiation physics and radiation biology with the goal of informing the safe use of ionizing radiation Health informatics or medical informatics is the intersection of Information science, Computer science, and Health care. Telemedicine is a rapidly developing application of Clinical medicine where medical information is transferred via telephone the Internet or other networks for the purpose of consulting In Medical imaging, picture archiving and communication systems (PACS are computers or networks dedicated to the storage retrieval distribution and presentation of images D igital I maging and Co mmunications in M edicine ( DICOM) is a standard for handling storing printing and transmitting information in Medical The mathematical basis for tomographic imaging was laid down by Johann Radon. The mathematical term well-posed problem stems from a definition given by Hadamard. An inverse problem is the task that often occurs in many branches of Science and Mathematics where the values of some model parameter(s must be obtained from the [2] Various training programs exist to accommodate the demand for specialization in this field.

In North America

In the United States, the Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act (H. R. 1426) also called the CARE Bill (under consideration by the U. S. congress in 2007) has required minimum training and qualifications for individuals to practice medical physics. The American Board of Radiology currently certifies medical physicists and desires that all candidates receive consistent training in a CAMPEP accredited clinical residency program. Established in 1934 the American Board of Radiology (ABR is a non-profit physician-led organization The American Association of Physicists in Medicine supports this desire. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM is a scientific educational and professional organization of Medical physicists Its headquarters are located [3]

In North America, medical physics training is offered at a master's, doctorate, post-doctorate and/or residency levels. Several large and established universities offer these degrees in Canada and the United States. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Some programs such as the University of Texas Health Science Center Department of Radiology offer dual medical residency and Ph. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Department of Radiology is the second largest academic department in Radiological Sciences in the United States D. degrees in medical physics. [4] As of 2008, twelve universities in the United States, and five universities in Canada have graduate programs in Medical Physics that are accredited by The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP). Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page As CAMPEP continues to gain support from bodies such as The American Association of Physicists in Medicine[5], the American Board of Radiology has specified that graduation from a CAMPEP accredited clinical training program be considered a requirement to sit for the ABR certification exams by 2012. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM is a scientific educational and professional organization of Medical physicists Its headquarters are located Established in 1934 the American Board of Radiology (ABR is a non-profit physician-led organization [6][7][8] As of 2008, the number of medical physics graduate programs that are not accredited significantly outnumber the CAMPEP accredited programs in North America (see links below).

The list of schools offering education in the field are:

In the United Kingdom

The person concerned must first gain a first or upper second-class honours degree in a physical or engineering science subject before they can start the Grade A medical physics training within the NHS.

Trainees can complete Grade A training in fifteen months provided they hold an MSc from an IPEM accredited center in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. For these candidates, the grade A training consists of pure clinical experience. Trainees applying for grade A trainee holding only a degree in a physical or engineering science subject must undertake a combined study and clinical training program. This program consists of two years of clinical placement, during which the trainee will study for an MSc in Medical Physics which is approved by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM). The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM is the United Kingdom 's professional body and Learned society for Physicists and The MSc will be either at Swansea, Sheffield, Surrey, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Aberdeen, King's or Queen Mary's. Swansea University (Prifysgol Abertawe is a University located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. The University of Sheffield is a research University, located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The University of Surrey is a University located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a British red brick University located in the city of Birmingham The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research University in Leeds, West Yorkshire; one of the largest in the United Kingdom with The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. The University of Aberdeen is an Ancient university founded in 1495, in Old Aberdeen, Scotland. King's College London is a British Higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the federal University of London. Queen Mary University of London (known as Queen Mary and Westfield College until 2000 and still officially named as such in its charter Queen Mary incorporates several Successful completion of the Grade A training programme leads to an IPEM Diploma. The trainee can then apply for a Grade B position, which will consists of the IPEM's Programme of Advanced Training (PAT) which takes a further two years and leads to Corporate Membership of the IPEM. At this stage the physicist is eligible for Senior Grade B positions.

Other programs around the world

Some major involved organizations around the world

Professional

Legislative and advisory

Some major journals

References

  1. ^ Alternative Clinical Medical Physics Training Pathways: Report of AAPM Task Group 133, p. The Radiological Society of North America Inc (RSNA is a professional membership society committed to excellence in patient care through education and research The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM is a scientific educational and professional organization of Medical physicists Its headquarters are located Established in 1934 the American Board of Radiology (ABR is a non-profit physician-led organization The Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM is the United Kingdom 's professional body and Learned society for Physicists and The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU is a standardization body set up in 1925 by the International Congress of Radiology The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP is an advisory body providing recommendations and guidance on radiation protection It was founded in 1928 by the International The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP is a U Nuclear Regulatory Commission (or NRC) is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act in 1974 and was first The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its 21
  2. ^ Alternative Clinical Medical Physics Training Pathways: Report of AAPM Task Group 133, p. 4
  3. ^ Alternative Clinical Medical Physics Training Pathways: Report of AAPM Task Group 133, p. 24
  4. ^ HSC NEWS - The University of Texas Health Science Center - The Office of External Affairs
  5. ^ AAPM stated policy: http://www.aapm.org/org/policies/details.asp?id=242&type=AP
  6. ^ Hendee, W. R. , Accreditation, Certification and Maintenance of Certification in Medical Physics: The Need for Convergence. NCCAAPM meeting, Nov 19,, 2004.
  7. ^ Alternative Clinical Medical Physics Training Pathways: Report of AAPM Task Group 133, p. 6
  8. ^ AAPM presentation report p.8

See also

External links

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