A decision support system to deal with the medical isotopes crisis

摘要

The risks generated by the production ot medical isotopes are explored as an example of the complexity of emerging issues science, technology and medicine. They are multi-dimensional in nature, being located on both the demand (healthy citizens and their well-being) and supply (safety of production) sides. Decision making related to this area assumes multi-disciplinary angles extending beyond domestic markets and gets further complicated by the time-scale, adding to the complexity of the strategy, as developing technologies on either side requires long-term perspectives. (19 refs.)