Medical Imaging Test #4

Quality assurance

-Monitoring and testing equipment

-Appropriateness of exams

-Timely reporting

Filtration in the X-RAY tube

Aluminum is used to absorb low energy beams that contribute to low patient dose

-For equipment, operating above 70 kVp, required minimum filtration is 2.5 mm Aluminum

Radiosensativity

-Susceptibility of cells to the harmful effect of ionizing radiation

-More sensitive in cells that are immature, rapidly dividing, specialized

-Lymphocytes are the most radiosensitive

-Nerve cells don’t divide so they are radioresistant

X-RAY beam collimation

Restriction of the primary beam to a limited area

Can be performed manually or automatically with positive beam limitation (PBL)

Radiation dose

Effective dose: amount of radiation required to make the skin turn red.

-Overall exposure limit: 50smv (annually)

-Student exposure: 1smv

Protecting patient dignity

Draping and covering a patient to the greatest extent possible. If an examination requires a position that could be embarrassing to patients, you should use considerable tact with these patients

Factors that might impact department quality

-Minimizing the unnecessary duplication of radiographic exams

-Monitoring and testing the equipment

-Evaluate quality of radiographers

Law of Bergonie and Tribondeau

Radiosensitivity is greater in cells that are:

-Immature

-Rapidly dividing

-Nonspecialized

Role of radiologist

Most important aspect of quality assurance

-ONLY individual able to provide a diagnosis

Factors impacting purchasing radiology equipment

-Need a certificate of need

-Equipment costs 100k to 3 M

-Service contracts (pay more for warranty)

Characteristics of ethical behavior are

-Compassion

-Honesty

-Integrity

-Accountability

-Fairness

-Loyalty

-Respect

Confidentiality

-RT cannot tell patients any conditions. They aren’t qualified to do that

-Info cannot be shared with people outside the family unless told so

-HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability)

Reasons a healthcare provider can be found negligent

-Civil assult: reasonably feared of being injured

-Civil battery: actual body harm has been inflicted

-invasion of privacy, false imprisonment which is retaining a patient without their permission

Tort

-Violation of civil law is not criminal. Most money charges not imprisonment

-Intentional misconduct: civil assault and civil battery

-Unintentional misconduct, negligence: breach to fulfill expected standard of care used by reasonable person

Civil Law

Deals with disputes between individuals or organization. Typically involving compensation instead of criminal actions

Interaction of radiation with matter

-5 types of interactions are possible

-only 2 of the 5 types are important

-Photoelectric absorption: 100% of photon energy absorbed in patient tissue

-Compton scatter: the most scattered radiation produced during procedures. Highest source of technologist dose

Communication

35% verbal

65% nonverbal