Global Development of Medical Physics‐IOMP Perspective

Abstract

Recent large scale surveys confirm that there is a large diversity in requirements for the qualification, role and responsibilities and manpower requirement for medical physicists. This in turn can result in a corresponding diversity in the quality and standard of practice of the medical physicists in different countries and even within countries. Such conditions, which are rather unsatisfactory, may be partly due to economical reasons and partly due to the fact that medical physics is not yet fully established and recognized globally as a healthcare profession and that their important role in the clinics and hence their level of professional competence, particularly in radiation medicine is not fully realised. There is now a general trend of implementing sophisticated medical technologies and complex imaging and treatment techniques in every country. One may raise the question on whether the clinical benefits of these heavy investments will be fully realised without a corresponding improvement in medical physics service support. IOMP has been taking several approaches to address the above issues. On the issue of professional recognition, IOMP has successfully convinced the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) to list medical physicists as professionals in the International Standard Classification of Occupations‐08 (ICSO‐08). This will help increasing the visibility of medical physics in national healthcare systems and help state recognition of the profession. IOMP is working to standardize the education and training requirements of medical physicists in a similar manner as other healthcare professionals by providing guidance in the form of policy statements to national member organizations on basic requirements for education and training of medical physicists working in healthcare institutions and on their role and responsibilities in medicine. The IOMP Public Relations Committee (PRC) which is chaired by Dr. Raymond Wu is working on the issue of manpower requirement of medical physics in medicine as well as on a system for global implementation of professional certification of medical physicists. The Organization is also collaborating with IAEA in preparation of complementary guidelines for member states. To further improve the recognition of the professional status of medical physicists, IOMP is mobilizing all medical physicists through their national and regional medical physics organizations to participate in a series of activities aiming to raise the awareness of the profession to members of the public, other healthcare professionals and healthcare policy makers. Amongst the initiatives is the launching of the annual event of International Day of Medical Physics starting from 2013, in which a series of scientific and educational events will be organized with global participation. IOMP is strengthening the collaborating with international professional and statutory organizations in raising the profile of the medical physics profession. The Organization is strengthening its support to NMOs in developing countries with the objective of a global development of the medical physics profession. Only with a universal recognition of the importance role of medical physicists in medicine that a high standard of practice of medical physics can realistically be developed to support clinical needs in every country.