Patient Care, Communication, and Professional Ethics
What the exam tests
Patient-care items test communication, consent, identification, pregnancy and breastfeeding screening, extravasation management, privacy, and ethical handling of errors and incidental findings. The focus is behavior that protects patients and preserves trust.
Core rules
- Confirm identity with at least two identifiers before radiopharmaceutical administration; verify the order, isotope, activity, and route.
- Screen for pregnancy, breastfeeding, allergy, renal impairment, and ability to cooperate; document refusals and questions.
- Explain radiation risk in plain language, using comparison to natural background and the diagnostic benefit, without false reassurance. For therapy, give written precautions.
- Manage extravasation promptly: stop injection, remove needle, elevate, apply cold or heat per protocol, notify the authorized user, document, and follow up.
- Protect privacy: discuss results and instructions in a private area; share only with those who need to know. Disclose errors honestly through the proper channel.
Worked example
A parent asks whether a Tc-99m bone scan will make the child radioactive to siblings. A sound answer: the tracer emits gamma rays and decays with a 6 h half-life; most activity is gone within 24–48 h, and simple precautions such as flushing the toilet and washing hands are usually enough. Avoid saying 'it is completely safe' or 'there is no radiation.' The reasoning shows benefit-risk communication that is accurate, specific, and documented.
Traps that cost marks
- Using jargon or dismissing concerns instead of explaining them.
- Discussing a patient's result in a waiting room.
- Failing to document an extravasation or a refused pregnancy test.
- Promising that a therapy carries no risk to family members.