SMPS is a scientific organization established in 2006 under the umbrella of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). SMPS is indeed fortunate to have capable members to stand for the fulfillment of its goals in promoting the growth of medical physics professionals within and outside Saudi Arabia.
Medical Physics is an applied branch of physics concerned with the application of the concepts and methods of physics to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. The medical physicist works closely with other medical/engineering practitioners and health care providers including physicians, technologists, and biomedical engineers for the sake of improvising health care service.
What Medical Physicists Do?
Medical physicists are concerned with three areas of activity: clinical service and consultation, research and development, and teaching. Depending on the work environment and need, the medical physicist time is distributed among these three tasks.
The essential responsibility of the Qualified Clinical Medical Physicists is to demonstrate an understanding of topics including, but not limited to: radiation oncology physics, diagnostic imaging physics, and nuclear imaging physics. The medical physicist is also responsible for the protection of the patient undergoing radiation procedures as well as the public from any potentially harmful or excessive radiation; establishment of adequate protocols to ensure accurate patient dosimetry; the measurement and characterization of radiation; the determination of delivered dose; the advancement of procedures necessary to ensure image quality; development and direction of quality assurance programs; and assistance to other health care professionals in optimizing the balance between the beneficial and deleterious effects of radiation.
Definition of a Qualified Medical Physicist
A Qualified Medical Physicist is an individual who is competent to practice independently one or more of the subfields of medical physics.
•Therapeutic Radiological Physics
•Diagnostic Radiological Physics
•Medical Nuclear Physics
•Medical Health Physics
Medical physicists contribute to the effectiveness of radiological imaging procedures by assuring radiation safety and helping to develop and improve imaging techniques (e.g., mammography CT, MR, ultrasound). They contribute to the development of therapeutic techniques (e.g., prostate implants, stereotactic radiosurgery), collaborate with radiation oncologists to design treatment plans, and monitor equipment and procedures to ensure that cancer patients receive the prescribed dose of radiation to the correct location.