Need help in mobile chest x-rays

Fatma_k · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 1 Location: Dubai

Heko everybody,

I am working on a research about the justification of online clinical information in a mobile chest x-rays requests.

I need help in continuing with the research,

How do decide the urgency of a mobile chest x-ray, whether it's Statm Urgent or Routine?

Thank you Razz

hjhogle · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:25 pm Post subject:

That's easy. You don't/we don't.

Radiographers, smart as we think we are, do not order imaging exams. Sure, we have opinions about the use of 'STAT', but that does not make us qualified to make that determination.

If what you're asking is, "on what basis might a clinician determine the urgency of a diagnostic imaging request, specifically a mobile chest exam", then you need to get information from clinicians who would place that kind of order.

hjh, RT

metalfan · Joined: 27 Nov 2011 Posts: 11

Especially in the context of a busy department and medical officers providing less and less information on their requests, it is not possible to make a truly informed determination. In a situation where you are working by yourself and are contacted for 2 different emergencies that both need you there 'right now', trying to gather more information in order to see the most urgent patient first is going to delay imaging for both of them. Gathering the information required to determine which one is more inportant can take longer than picking one at random and performing the first study.

Apart from that, airways always take precedent over anything else. In the emergency scenario where 1 person is required to immediately go to 2 different places, getting the doctors to discuss with each other and then reinform you is generally considered a reasonable pathway to imaging the most urgent patient first. Again, probably takes longer though and takes both doctors away from the patient.