Medical Photography

Gruiz wrote in post #4338077
Surgeon in training here...

There is an sterile field composed by whats on the surgical Table (patient) and the drapes over him, The surgeon, OR Tech (The one that hands the instruments to the Surgeon), her table with instruments, the Overhead Light Handles (these are plastic pieces that are sterile for the Surgeons to handle) \

Everything else is non sterile... You would have to wear a surgical attire to enter the OR Suite: Scrubs (The green shirt and pants) Surgical Hat, and a mask.

You can bring your whole bag of gear. Besides what I mentioned, nothing else needs to be sanitized, Surgeons will call for you and they will move the Overhead lights away (Too Bright and Yellow for Photography), the Will also stop what they are doing and move away for you to take the shots.

You CAN NOT physically touch anything that is sterile, you can bend yourself, climb on a Steping stool (readily available in the ORs) if you need to.

Ive seen some pros doing it... They bring their camera with no neck strap, sometimes a hand strap (dont know how to call it) the Surgeon explains what he wants to show in the pic and he takes the shots and shows the surgeon the pics.

Sometimes the Surgeon Kindly ask this guy to stay during the Operation, so he can call for more shots at the appropriate time with no delay waiting for the guy to come.

That sounds like a very interesting way to earn a living as a photog. I wonder who owns the rights to the photos? I'd of course put some very fine print in the contract

scot079 wrote in post #4338103
That sounds like a very interesting way to earn a living as a photog. I wonder who owns the rights to the photos? I'd of course put some very fine print in the contract

It is and everyday is a new adverture. When I was the hospitals employee I think they actually own the image, right? Now I own everything I shoot.

scot079 wrote in post #4338103
That sounds like a very interesting way to earn a living as a photog. I wonder who owns the rights to the photos? I'd of course put some very fine print in the contract

Every Photograph is protected by an special law that protects the privacy of the patient. The patient signs a consent as part as his/her general surgical consent authorizing the pictures to be taken for medical record and / or teaching purposes... This images can not be distributed and the personnal data of the patient can not be published with the pictures unless as a part of the patients medical record.

so I think that in a way nor the Hospital or the Photog owns the pics, they are part of the Patients Medical record.

This person is also called to the morgue and pathology for the corpses and Specimens (read Organs out of the body and the like ) shots and to the Surgeons Offices in the hospital to take shots of Patiens for a Before and After comparisson of Surgeries and to document all kinds of things.... Yeah... that includes the nose jobs and the Boob jobs in the plastic surgeons offices as well ....

Gruiz wrote in post #4338637
Every Photograph is protected by an special law that protects the privacy of the patient. The patient signs a consent as part as his/her general surgical consent authorizing the pictures to be taken for medical record and / or teaching purposes... This images can not be distributed and the personnal data of the patient can not be published with the pictures unless as a part of the patients medical record.

so I think that in a way nor the Hospital or the Photog owns the pics, they are part of the Patients Medical record.

This person is also called to the morgue and pathology for the corpses and Specimens (read Organs out of the body and the like ) shots and to the Surgeons Offices in the hospital to take shots of Patiens for a Before and After comparisson of Surgeries and to document all kinds of things.... Yeah... that includes the nose jobs and the Boob jobs in the plastic surgeons offices as well ....

It was different before all the HIPAA regs but that sounds about right.

Allot of pathology depts and morgues have their own digital cameras as do allot of surgeons now and most path labs have their own light tables so they do allot of their own photography now, not like years ago. Most of the work that hospital photographers do now is PR and advertising. Even in lectures the images of the problems can be shown but the names of the patients have to be kept private. I know when I shoot images that show x-rays, cat scans, and imaging machines we are VERY sensitive to the issue that a patients name can never be shown.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #4339229
It was different before all the HIPAA regs but that sounds about right.

Allot of pathology depts and morgues have their own digital cameras as do allot of surgeons now and most path labs have their own light tables so they do allot of their own photography now, not like years ago. Most of the work that hospital photographers do now is PR and advertising. Even in lectures the images of the problems can be shown but the names of the patients have to be kept private. I know when I shoot images that show x-rays, cat scans, and imaging machines we are VERY sensitive to the issue that a patients name can never be shown.

Totally agree

My 9-5 job is as a medical photographer within the NHS (National Health Service – England), patient confidentiality and fully informed consent are key (if you want to keep your job). Most of our work tends to be PR, dermatology and plastic surgery (and we use Nikon just to make things worse!)
Cheers
Rob

You're pretty safe if you show C/U of a proceedure as long as theres no mention of a name.

Hmmm!!! I will have to ask my brother who has been in Medical Photography for decades (now head of department) in a large teaching hospital. I am sure they only recently went digital because of the concerns historical records wise and the forensic work he was asked to 'do'.

Edit: I should have read the whole thread - I was 'answering' in respect of kit but now see the thread is "addressing" legality & ethics. My brother has now specialised in Medical Ethics as it relates to Medical Illustration and has had papers published though I would think these are specific to the UK but what do I know

Box Brownie wrote in post #4340775
Hmmm!!! I will have to ask my brother who has been in Medical Photography for decades (now head of department) in a large teaching hospital. I am sure they only recently went digital because of the concerns historical records wise and the forensic work he was asked to 'do'.

Edit: I should have read the whole thread - I was 'answering' in respect of kit but now see the thread is "addressing" legality & ethics. My brother has now specialised in Medical Ethics as it relates to Medical Illustration and has had papers published though I would think these are specific to the UK but what do I know

Almost 2 decades for me...17 years.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #4355137
Almost 2 decades for me...17 years.

Not too sure exactly when he started but if memory serves me right it was somewhen between 1970-72 because I started in the path lab at the same hospital in September 1973 (I left that job in 1980 !!!) and he was originally at another teaching hospital for 'a while' before this one ~ crumbs, all goes to show how time flies