Rad Tech - Mometrix

What you need before performing radiographic procedure

Formal request from doctor

Civil Liability of a Radiographer

The ethical and legal responsibility to do their job in an accurate and professional manner

Defamation

Exposing a person to pubic ridicule

Slander

Oral statements that damage someone’s reputation

Libel

Written statement that harms and individual’s character, name, or reputation

Invasion of Privacy

Unsolicited or unauthorized exposure of patient information

Malpractice

Professional misconduct, resulting in failure to provide due care

Fraud

Intentional dishonesty

Assault and battery

Declaring intent to touch inappropriately or cause bodily harm and the act of doing so

Negligence

taking an unreasonable, careless action that could cause harm

Statute of Limitation

A law defining the maximum period the complainant can wait before filing a lawsuit

Assumption of Risk

A defense against the accusation of negligence.

Arbitration Agreement

The patient agrees to give up the right to sue the doctor

Parts of negligent behavior

duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages

Beneficence

the ethical principle that involves performing actions that are for the purpose of benefitting another person.

Nonmalificence

the ethical principle that means healthcare workers should provide care in a manner that does not cause intentional harm to the patient

DNR

Do not resuscitate

NPO

nothing by mouth

STAT

immediately

ASAP

as soon as possible

HIPPA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 1996

Informed Consent

a patient giving a provider permission to perform a specific medical procedure

Exceptions to informed consent

emergencies, emotional distress, legal incompetence, minor age status

Needed before inpatient procedure

patient consent, date of any previous procedures, labs and relevant results, medications

Needed before outpatient procedure

pregnancy information, patient preparation, medications, length of sx

10 Principles of ASRT code of ethics

1. Act in a professional manner
2. Respect the dignity of everyone
3. Deliver healthcare without discrimination
4. Be a competent technician
5. Make decisions that take into consideration patient’s needs
6. Diagnosis and interpretation are not your job or responsibility
7. Be aware of and practice current technical and safety procedures
8. Practice ethical behavior that provides quality care
9. Respect patient privacy and confidentiality
10. Be involved in continuing education

Different types of restraints

Emotional, Environmental, Physical, Chemical

Good Samaritan Act

A first aider who provides unpaid assistance and acts reasonable is protected by states law from unfair prosecution for death, disability, or disfigurement. An organ donor is blameless for complications the recipient suffers.

Duty of Care

One must act as “a reasonable man” and meet the standard of care to avoid negligence charges

Subpoena

A legal writ requiring a person to come to court, testify, or provide documents

Res ipsa loquitur

The principle of law that allows the use of circumstantial evidence as proof

Locum tenens

Allows one medical professional to serve temporarily in place of another

Deposition

A sworn out of court witness statement taken under oath

Stare decisis

Court decisions should be guided by precedent

Respondeat Superior

The master is liable for the wrong of a servant

Subpoena duces tecum

a court order for a witness to produce documents. Health care professionals must report gunshot wounds, terrorist incidents, suspected or known abuse of child, senior, or disabled persons, etc

TQI

Total Quality Improvement

TQM

Total Quality Management

Asian Population Consideration

1. Patient or families may not question doctor or nurse

2. Disagreeing is considered impolite.

3. May avoid eye contact as an indication of respect

Hispanic Population Considerations

1. May like a nurse to arrange for a priest to visit

2. Large extended families may come to visit

3. Language barriers may exist

4. Family may react strongly to news

Middle Eastern Population Considerations

1. May practice strict dietary restrictions

2. May have language barriers - use same sex translators if possible

3. Patient care should be directed toward female family members

Cultural Competence

appreciating diversity, assessing own cultural perspective, understanding intercultural dynamics, recognizing institutional culture, adapting patient service to diversity

Basic Blood standards for Jehovah’s Witnesses

Not Acceptable: whole blood

Acceptable: Fractions from whole blood

Ultrasound

creates an image by recording the echo of sound waves as they bounce of the anatomy to which they are applied

Mammogram

Uses compression and low doses of radiation to image breast tissue and detect breast cancer

4 Communication Techniques

use active listening, watch for nonverbal cues, ask open-ended questions, consider influences

CT

computed tomography, uses high specific application of radiation and computer analysis to get a high detailed, three dimensional image

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging, uses magnetic fields and computer software to produce an image

distractions

Internal and external factors that disrupt the communication cycle

Signs and sx of shock

Hypotenstion, tachycardia, cool skin, increased respiration, anxiety, thirst

Hypovolemic Shock

Low blood volume as a result of vomiting, diarhhea, hemorrhage

Systemic Shock

Collapse of circulatory system as a result of intense infection

Neurogenic Shock

Failure of arterial resistance due to head/spinal injury or neurotransmitter failure

Cardiogenic Shock

Failure of the heart to pump due to pulmonary emboli, myocardial infarction, or pericardial edema

Anaphylactic Shock

Severe allergic reaction due to substances that the body has not be sensitized to

Syncope

Emotional response due to fear, pain, or any severely unpleasant event

Medical Asepsis

Cleanliness practices in a non-sterile environment

Surgical Asepsis

Sterile objects stay sterile when touching other sterile objects

Portal of Entry

In the cycle of infection, the fourth step where the microorganism exits the reservoir host and enters susceptible host through a portal of entry

Disinfectant

Used to kill possible pathogens

Antiseptics

Chemical compounds that inhibit or prevent the growth of microorganisms

Susceptible Host

an individual that is unable to fight off an infection

Fomite

any inanimate object that can spread a pathogen from one person to other

Portal of Exit

Second step of cycle of infection, the reservoir host provides a portal of exit

Circle of Infection

1. Infectious Agent

2. Reservoir

3. Portal of Exit

4. Mode of Transmission

5. Portal of Entry

6. Susceptible Host

Reservoir

Living host that has the proper nourishment for the pathogen to survive

Nosocomial Infection

Hospital acquired illness not resulting from original reason for the patient to be admitted

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

SDS

Safety Data Sheets

Adverse reactions to contrast

Most commonly nausea and pharyngeal discomfort

Emergency medications

Benadryl, epinephrine, albuterol, and atropine

Order for Multiple Procedures

1. Intravenous pyelogram

2. Gallbladder study

3. Barium enema

4. Upper Gastrointestinal study

Premedicating

Administering medications before contrast is administered to reduce the likelihood of an adverse reaction

Layers of an artery

1. Tunica Intima

2. Tunica Media

3. Tunica Adventitia

Lumen

Hollow area within a blood vessel

Valve

Tissue flaps inside a vein or the heart that prevent backward flow of blood

Arteries of the Upper Limbs

internal thoracic, thyrocervical trunk, suprascapular, subscapular, thoracodorsal, deep brachial, ulnar collateral

Single Head Power Injector

Allows technologists to inject radiographic contrast via an angiocatheter

Dual Head Power Injectors

Like single head, but also contain an additional head containing saline that is useful to flush after the contrast injection.

Contrast Media

used in radiography to increase the contrast of certain tissues and anatomy that do not naturally have adequate contrast on the radiographic image

Pair Production Interactions

High energy interactions occurring at energy levels of 1.02 to 10 MeV. In this, a photon has enough energy to enter an atom and interact with the nucleus causing the photon to split into two parts, a positron and a negatron.

Beta Decay

A radioactive decay process in which an unstable atom emits a beta particle in order to achieve stability.

Attenuation

the reduction in the intensity of radiation when it passes through matter, whereupon that radiation is absorbed and scatter

Attenuator

the material or device used to reduce the intensity of x-ray or ultrasound

Attenuation profile

the result of the CT process that defines the attenuation properties of individual ray sums as they relate to the position of the ray

Attenuation coefficient

the numerical expression of a decrease in intensity that includes a penetration into matter.

Radioactive Decay

the result of the random collapse of radioactive isotopes that takes place within a nucleus that is considered to be unstable

Biological Half-Life

the amount of time it takes the body to eliminate half of the quantity of any substance, not just radioactivity

Half-Life

the amount of time necessary for radioactive material to decay to half of its original intensity

Half-Value layer

the amount of barrier material necessary to reduce the intensity of radiation by half

Alpha Decay

a radioactive decay process in which the unstable atom emits an alpha particle in order to achieve stability

Scatter Radiation

the changing of the direction of the x-ray beams without a subsequent loss of energy

Basic Properties of X-Ray Photons

• move in wavelike motion

• travel in a straight line at the speed of light

• cannot be detected by the senses

• high energized

Photoelectric interactions

a photon enters an atom and interacts with an inner shell electron

magnetism

the force that either attracts or repels materials as a result of the force field that is created by the movement of charged particles

Compton Interactions

a photon enters an atom and interacts with an electron in the outer orbital of an atom

Photoelectric effect

phenomenon in which electrically charged particles are released from or within a material when it absorbs electromagnetic radiation

ionizing radiation

 a form of energy that acts by removing electrons from atoms and molecules of materials that include air, water, and living tissue

Inverse Square Law

the intensity of the radiation goes down by the square of the distance from the source.

Tungsten

The metal used for the target material in the x-ray tube