DIgital Display Devices QA/QC

What program oversees the patient care experiences and hospital services ?

Quality Assurance Program (QA)

An evaluation of the hospital staff’s current patient care quality and team work improvements.

Continous Quality Improvement (CQI)

Ensures hospital staff is providing high quality care; Requires hospital’s to have QA/QC programs.

The Joint Commission (TJC)

Past title of TJC

Joint Commission on Accreditation for Hospital Organizations (JCAHO)

Law required test routine for imaging equipment to maintain department/room license

Quality Control (QC)

Why imaging equipment needs routine testing?

Ensure’s exams are safe for patient’s, monitors imaging equipment’s performance, evaluates artifacts and output of high quality images

QC program process

1) acceptance testing; 2) performance monitoring 3) error maintenance

Determines if imaging equipment is working properly before first use and after repairs are made to current equipment

Acceptance Testing

A series of tests done to avoid equipment failure; Done daily, monthly, quarterly and annually.

Performance Maintenance (PM)

Tests completed when imaging equipment’s performance is poor

Error Maintenance

Accurate consistent records of unacceptable equipment performance results and repair plans.

QC Documentation

A document form/checklist for physicists and technologists to complete.

Assessment for display performance for medical imaging system

A physicist test that determines if a monitors contrast/brightness settings are acceptable or indicate deviations in luminance adjustment.

Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers Test (SMPTE)

Common observations of SMPTE test results

5% and 95% luminance patches are present

Test that uses a pattern for calibrating and adjusting a monitor

TG18-QC

Tool that measures light intensity at several areas of the illuminator within workstation monitors.

Photometer

A x-ray tube/ tube housing component that has a state required measurement of 2.5mm Al

Filtration

How is filtration measured and how often?

Measured by checking HVL and is done annually or anytime tube housing is changed

Test for beam alignment by checking perpendicularly of beam to IR

Collimation/ Beam Restriction Test

Modern day x-ray systems that automatically collimate to film size being used

Positive Beam Limitation/ Limiting (PBL)

Used for small and large focal spot and important for good image quality

Focal Spot

The ability to render small object on an image

Spatial Resolution

An overall assessment of uniformity of an exposed IP record signal

PSP Uniformity test

Test to ensure there is minimal signal (ghosting) by exposing the PSP to white light which deletes any trapped energy from the IR

PSP Imaging Plate Erasure Thorughness

Method for setting exposure factors that will result in a quality radiographic image

Automatic Exposure Control (AEC)

Ability of an x-ray unit to produce a constant radiation for various mA and exposure time combinations

Exposure Linearity

Testing of kVp, mA, and time in successive exposures

Exposure Reproducibility

Checking lead apparel for cracks, holes, or defects under flouroscopy

Protective Apparel Test

The responsibility of a technologist to report all malfunctions

Recognition and Reporting Malfunctions

Entrance skin exposure (ESE) average fluoro exam is 3-5rads/min

Fluoro QC

A state law, ESE shall not exceed 10R/min for normal fluoro and shall not exceed 20R/min for interventional procedures

Exposure Rate