Patient - Equipment Orientation Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering x-ray equipment orientation, patient trust builders and breakers, and the four clinical radiographic scenarios.

Trust

Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something, or the responsibility for the safety and care of someone or something.

Patient Trust Builders

Mastery of effective and relevant communication, efficiency in moving equipment, and proper positioning of the patient part and the plate.

Trust Breakers

Actions such as looking at notes, causing pain during positioning, struggling to move equipment, a lack of communication, or checking things excessively.

SID indicator

A variable that must be mastered to ensure proper Source-to-Image Distance, typically set at $40\,\text{inch}$ or $72\,\text{inch}$ depending on the exam.

Guideline

Information intended to advise people on how something should be done or what something should be.

Scenario 1

A setup where the plate is placed on the table top with the patient laying on the table or seated beside it; most common for all exams distal to the shoulder or knee.

Scenario 2

A setup where the plate is in the table Bucky; most common for all exams of the shoulder and knee or larger.

Scenario 3

A setup where the plate is in the wall Bucky; most common for exams of the chest, ribs, paranasal sinuses, and abdominal series.

Scenario 4

Portable radiography (bed, gurney, wheelchair) which offers the least structured environment and is more error-prone than other scenarios.

Center Lock

A setting that ensures the x-ray tube and central ray are aligned with the Bucky in the table or the chest board.

Marker

An identification tool placed on the table or plate to indicate orientation; it should avoid being placed on the patient or their garments.

Three Touch Rule

A goal for efficiency where a technologist aims to only touch equipment (collimator, table, tube, Bucky, or patient) three times or fewer per view.

Windowing

The adjustment of brightness and contrast of a radiographic image after it has been captured.

Collimator Scale

Field size settings used to match anatomy and plate sizes, such as $35 \times 43\,\text{cm}$ ($14 \times 17\,\text{inch}$) or $24 \times 30\,\text{cm}$ ($10 \times 12\,\text{inch}$).

Angle SID Adjustment

To maintain a $40\,\text{inch}$ SID when angling the tube, the indicator should be set to $\sim 36\,\text{inch}$ for a $15^{\circ}$ angle or $\sim 32\,\text{inch}$ for a $30^{\circ}$ angle.