Medical Physics Question

[Rikahs]

Hi everyone,

This is a 7 marker question "Advances in our understanding of the electromagnetic specturm have allowed scientists to investigate the human body in more detail. Assess the impact of these advances on the development of medical technologies". I wasn't exactly too sure how to approach this and just started writing about the use of EM in various imaging techniques (also didn't know whether we had to talk about all the imaging techniques). If anyone could please give me any tips or critiques on what to change or add that would be appreciated. My rough answer:

The electromagnetic waves are used through all medical products and therefore indicates the advancement in EMR research has allowed scientists to determine how their characteristics could be used for the purpose of medical imaging to increase the quality of life and disease research. The first form of medical imaging was the X-ray. Through scientific research into methods of production and the characteristics of X-rays, scientists have been able create X-rays through braking radiation and K shell emission which has allowed medical imaging of hard tissue without the need of evasive methods. The downside however is that x-ray imaging offers only 30 shades of grey which would be considered as low resolution. With significant scientific research, into both the electromagnetic spectrum and computer technology, scientists have been able to product CAT scans which still use x-rays however offere much greater detail (256 shades of grey) and allow for the imaging of both soft and hard tissue through a non-evasive method. The downsides to both x-rays and CAT scans are they both expose the patients to ionising radiation however these imaging methods are still far superior to alternate evasive methods such as surgically inspecting the inside of patients which risk infections and produce long healing times. Futhermore, through the discovery and research into the characteristics of light, it has enabled scientists to produce endoscopes which use the refractive features of light to enable a non-evasive method of internal, live colour imaging. The downside of this method being very minimal such as patient experiencing uncomfort if not sedated.

 This is a rough draft however was wondering approximately how many marks this type of answer would get me.
Thanks

[nickglyn]

This sounds really good! You might also be able to add how scientific research has lead to the production of the gamma camera, which can be used in PET scans to image radiation and thus the functionality of a certain body part.

I'm not exactly sure how many marks that would get, but in my opinion that'd be hitting near top marks (but I'm a student as well so I can't mark that well!  )

[Cindy2k16]

(disclaimer :I'm also a student so I'm not an expert on marking.. )
Hi I think this is good response and you talk about a a few types of medical imaging with adv/disadv which is good for a 7marker.
I also have a few tips too if thats okay
- I think its best you alter this sentence a bit "The electromagnetic waves are used through all medical products" Because that won't be entirely accurate- for example, ultrasound is not EM radiation but is used in medical imaging. I think it would also save some confusion by not referring to medical imaging as 'products' either but simply refer to it as medical imaging. Eg. "Electromagnetic waves are used in many types of medical imaging and therefore etc"
- Expanding on the properties of X-rays and relating it to its use would also better answer the question i think. For example saying how high energy X-rays are absorbed more by denser tissues than by soft tissues and how they're detected by photographic film, and the areas of contrast show soft and hard tissue in the body.
- Being more specific on the properties of light that led to its use in endoscopes would help answer the question. Basically, talking about how understanding the reflection and refraction of light - that when entering a material of lower refractive index at an angle greater than the critical angle, light will refract back into the medium (total internal reflection) has led to the development of fibre optics which are used in endoscopes etc
- This would depend on the marking criteria, which im not sure of, but just to be safe I personally would talk about 3 different types of EM radiation and their use in medical imaging.
- This response would at most get 6 marks- because there's no judgement statement! It's crucial that when responding to 'Assess' questions that you have a judgement statement at the end eg. "Therefore advances in our understanding of the EM spectrum have had an immense impact on the development of medical technologies which have allowed scientists to investigate the human body in more detail". For assess questions, one mark is always assigned to a judgement statement so it's really important you have one in there- (usually you say that ____ has had a positive/negative/great impact, depending on the question)

I hope this helped

[nickglyn]

I agree with everything you said, but didn't he provide his judgement at the beginning? I've been told you're allowed to put the judgement at the beginning for assess questions, but I'm not 100% sure about that though

[jamonwindeyer]

I agree with everything you said, but didn't he provide his judgement at the beginning? I've been told you're allowed to put the judgement at the beginning for assess questions, but I'm not 100% sure about that though

This is a really cool discussion! And thanks to Cindy and Nick for giving feedback! My two cents; The first sentence is this:

The electromagnetic waves are used through all medical products and therefore indicates the advancement in EMR research has allowed scientists to determine how their characteristics could be used for the purpose of medical imaging to increase the quality of life and disease research.

There is an implied judgement here, but I'm not getting something specific. I'm looking for critical words like "vital" or "pivotal," something that says, "Yep, this is the impact they've had." and does it in a way that is a little bit more explicit. So while you can put your judgement at the start, in this particular response, something like this at the end would be beneficial.

Thus, we can see how advances in our understanding of the EM spectrum have had a largely positive impact on diagnostic medical imaging techniques, and accentuated its benefits.

Or something similar