Reference no: EM133374366
Case Study: Imaging Practice
You are the manager of radiology department. It was brought to your attention that one of your new employees, a Registered Technologist, was completing a one order for a hand and one order for a wrist on the same patient in the following manner:
The employee, upon retrieving the patient and obtaining a history, proceeded to obtain three views of the hand (PA, Oblique, and Lateral) and added a "L" computer generated marker. The technologist then copied these three images into the examination folder for the wrist. After saving the images in the wrist examination folder, the technologist proceeded to post-process crop the three images to include the wrist only and add an "L" computer generated marker for the wrist.
Upon completion of this process, the technologist sent both examination files to the physician for interpretation.
As a manager, you were intrigued. Upon query of this unique means to complete a hand and wrist examination, the technologist gave the following rationale for justification of this practice:
1. the positioning for a hand and wrist were the same and all anatomy was included,
2. this process saved time and money for the agency,
3. the examination was more expedient for the patient allowing more immediate feedback,
4. the technologist was practicing ALARA and saving dose to the patient.
A. Please look at this professional practice from three different perspectives: ethical, legal, and image quality.
Provide a minimum of two paragraphs for each of these three perspectives concerning this practice.
Give at least one cited source for each of the perspectives supporting your position on this practice.
B. As a manager, you need to decide what, if any, changes would occur due to this intriguing method of computer usage for completing hand/wrist examinations or even expanding to other body parts.
For Part B you need to:
1. Define/summarize the practice issue based on your discussions from Part A (above). Give all possible solutions to the problem.
2. Select the best solution and support it with cited professional practice standards.
3. Discuss if you would support the practice (include it in your protocols) or have issues with the practice.