Review of Ethics of Nuclear Medicine: Observations From a Tertiary Nigerian Centre

Nuclear Medicine (NM) is a newly emerging branch of Medicine in Nigeria that entails the use of radioisotopes and radiolabelled compounds in diagnosing and treating disease. Ethics may be defined as “the study of morality careful and systematic reflection on and analysis of moral decisions and behaviour, whether past, present or future.” The article seeks to review ethical scenarios encountered in the practice of NM. Issues of medical ethics peculiar to NM are presented in a bid to educate the NM physician, non-NM medical personnel as well as the general public. Examples are justification and beneficence of NM procedures, adequacy of informed consent, need for contraception even in infertile patients, care of the radioactive NM patient, and radioactive waste disposal. Ethical solutions are also proffered.