Case Study Questions
1. What concepts in the chapter are illustrated in this case? What ethical issues are raised by radiation technology?
2. What people, organization, and technology factors were responsible for the problems detailed in this case? Explain the role of each.
3. Do you feel that any of the groups involved with this issue (hospital administrator, technicians, medical equipment, software manufacturers, and government agencies) should accept the majority of the blame for these incidents? Why or why not?
4. How would a central reporting agency that gathered data on radiation-related accidents help reduce the number of radiation therapy errors in the future?
5. If you were in charge of designing electronic software for a linear accelerator, what are some features you would include? Are there any features you would avoid?