Of X-rays and Female Orthopods
Nerdy medical anthropology commentary alert: gender, politics, economics, culture and health. I think this would be a good instructional article for an introductory course. Bookmarking here.
- Orthopedic surgeons use lead aprons during surgery, when X-rays (radiation from fluoroscopy machines) are needed. The lead aprons are “one size fits all”, which really means “large” and “one size fits most”… thus there are body parts that are unprotected exposed to radiation.
- Women are a minority in orthopedic surgery – it’s mostly a “boy’s club” as the article states. So lead aprons were designed with men in mind, both for size and anatomy. They cover the vulnerable male testicles from radiation really well, but have these armhole openings often too large for most women… thus the breast tissue exposure.
- Having fewer women in the profession, as a minority their voices are not as heard as well as the majority. Voluntarily, they don’t want to be the “squeaky wheel”; there are also few women in leadership positions in the male-dominated field.
- Economics plays a part – if you were a lead apron manufacturer, or a hospital system buying lead aprons… the most cost-effective way is to make ready-to-wear “one size fits all” lead aprons instead of custom-made aprons for people. The article cites a study in which authors had to make their own “breast protectors” or something like that, because they did not exist commercially.
- As physicians (or healthcare workers in general) and especially when young, we can sometimes think we are invincible and superhuman. So stuff like radiation risk can go unnoticed – article mentions this too. There appears to be a lack of education and awareness about radiation risk during training? People mentioned in the article are taking steps to address this, but it will take a culture change to make education and practice standard in all settings.
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