Communication in Radiography: an analysis of the ethical and legal aspects of radiographer-patient communication

The experience of illness and the highly technical environment within the medical imaging department may cause anxiety for patients. For this reason, radiographers have a very important role of building a relationship with their patients to help them through the imaging process. This radiographer-patient relationship should be based on trust and effective communication is an essential tool to build and maintain this trust. Recent changes in the Maltese legislation and in radiographers' work practices have indicated that, like most healthcare professionals practicing in Malta, radiographers have limited knowledge, if any, of how the law in Malta may be applied to their professional work practices. Medical law in Malta has to date not been established as a distinct sub-speciality and literature on the subject is limited. Furthermore, literature related to ethics and law in relation to the radiography profession is also limited. This dissertation looked into the ethical and legal aspects which may apply to radiographer-patient communication. For this purpose, a literature review was carried out on the ethical aspects and the information gathered was applied to the specific circumstance under study. A review of relevant English medical law was also carried out and this was used to identify relevant Maltese law which was then compared or contrasted with English medical law. Informed consent for examinations using ionising radiation has been noted to be the subject of contrasting opinions which may still need further evaluation. Also, the interpretation of applicable Maltese law is at times not clear enough when applied to radiographer-patient communication; however, awareness of English medical law is a useful guide for radiographers practicing in Malta as the Maltese legal system may make reference to English case law.