Task Group 109
Ethics in Radiological Protection for Medical Diagnosis and Treatment

Under Committee 3 and Committee 4

The mandate of Task Group 109 is to develop an ICRP publication presenting the ethical aspects in the use of radiation in medicine, addressed to the radiological protection of patients, and intended for medical professionals, patients, the public, and authorities. This builds upon ICRP Publication 138 which identified the ethical values associated with the system of radiological protection for occupational, public and medical exposures, and for protection of the environment.

Although ethics cannot provide conclusive solutions in all specific cases, it can undoubtedly help in facilitating discussions among those acting to promote the well-being of individuals. The medical practice has a long history in moral philosophy, formalized in biomedical ethics in the late seventies, and these principles have been widely applied in medicine for patients and research subjects. A clear understanding of ethical values, together with the principles of radiological protection, can help address issues of potential conflict in decision making.

The publication to be developed will present the ethical issues in the context of the use of radiation in medicine, in specific patient care circumstances. Different care scenarios will be considered as examples on how and which reflections on ethical values can be of help in decision making process, with attention to do more good than harm and to personal dignity and respect. Proposed scenarios will include: radiological and nuclear medicine in pregnant patients, pediatrics, elderly patients, end of life scenario and medical screening.

 

    

ICRP 2023 Poster


François Bochud (Co-Chair), Lausanne University Hospital and Unversity of Lausanne, Switzerland
Marie-Claire Cantone (Co-Chair), University of Milan, Italy
Kimberly Applegate (Member), University of Kentucky COM (retired), USA
Mary Coffey (Member), Ireland
John Damilakis (Member), University of Crete, School of Medicine, Greece
Maria del Rosario Perez (Member), World Health Organisation (WHO), Switzerland
Frederic Fahey (Member), Boston Children's Hospital, USA
Chieko Kurihara-Saio (Member), Japan
Alberto Lachos-Davilla (Member), Peru
Bernard Le-Guen (Member), International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA), France
Jim Malone (Member), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Margaret Murphy (Member), Ireland
Lynette Reid (Member), Department of Bioethics, Dalhousie University, Canada
Friedo Zölzer (Member), University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic