RT8

• Patient care involves providing medical treatment and personal care to a patient in settings like hospitals, clinics, or other healthcare facilities
• The goal of patient care is to promote health, prevent and treat illness and injury
• Patient care helps ensure that patients receive the best possible care and treatment
• Radiologic Technologists:

  • Deal with media information or misinformation
  • Can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction
  • Help reduce risk of errors and complications
  • Conduct all examinations with concern for patient dose and following ALARA principles
  • Interact with patients during medical imaging examinations
  • Produce quality images with the lowest possible patient exposure under radiologist oversight
  • Recognize and address questionable examination requests
• Health Care System consists of:

  1. Primary Care or Preventive Care:

  • Promotes wellness and prevents disease
  • Focuses on disease prevention and health maintenance
  • Settings include physician offices, public health clinics, school nursing, community health nursing

  2. Secondary Care or Curative Care:

  • Seeks a cure for existing diseases or medical conditions
  • Referred to as "Acute Care"
  • Settings include physician offices, clinics, urgent care facilities, hospitals, specialized units like burn care, neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and transplant services
• 3. Tertiary Care or Rehabilitative Care:

  • Addresses long-term effects of chronic illness or conditions
  • Aims to restore a patient's maximum physical and mental function
  • Settings include rehabilitation units, assisted living facilities, adult day care, skilled nursing units, home care, hospice centers
• Members of the health care team:

  • Health care providers like physicians, dentists
  • Nurses
  • Unlicensed assistive personnel
  • Interprofessional team members like dieticians, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, podiatrists, prosthetics providers, psychologists, psychiatrists, respiratory therapists, social workers, speech therapists
• Patient Education:

  • Aims to increase patient compliance and facilitate healthcare delivery
  • Provides patients with information and skills to participate in their medical treatment and care
  • Improves patient care, customer satisfaction, compliance with accreditation standards, and reduces liability exposure
• • Pregnant patients and healthcare workers must be protected from ionizing radiation exposure
• Radiation Safety:

  • Radiographers protect patients and personnel from radiation exposure
  • Factors affecting adverse effects of ionizing radiation include patient's age, cell sensitivity, and body area exposed
  • Precautions include ALARA principle, minimizing exposure time, maximizing distance, and appropriate shielding
  • Most vulnerable to radiation effects: very young, very old, pregnant women
  • Use lead aprons, gonadal shields, thyroid shields, lead gloves, and lead goggles for shielding
  • Quality control for protective apparel is essential
• A woman should be excused from performing invasive procedures, such as radiotherapy, for the duration of the pregnancy
• Declaration of pregnancy is made, and a fetal dose is determined by the inclusion of a fetal whole body dosimeter, which is worn at waist level under a lead apron
• Occupational fetal exposure should not exceed 500 cSv (mrem) (0.5 rem) spread over the duration of the 9 months gestation period
• If the 500 cSv level has already been exceeded before the declaration of the pregnancy, then the amount is reduced to an additional 50 cSv (50 mrem) over the remaining gestation period
• Exposure must be limited to no more than 0.05 rems in one month
• The susceptibility of a fetus to radiation exposure decreases as the pregnancy approaches full term
• Preimplantation:

  • Prenatal death occurs at 0.05-0.15 Sv
• Organogenesis:

  • Congenital anomalies can occur
• Ambulatory: Walking, or able to walk
• Atrophy: Decrease in the size of the organ, tissue, or muscle
• Decubitus ulcer: A pressure sore or ulcer
• Dyspnea: Labored or difficult breathing
• Immobilizer: Velcro straps used on a patient’s limbs or waist to prevent self-injury
• Ischemia: Deficiency of blood in a body part due to functional constriction or actual obstruction of a blood vessel
• Tissue necrosis: Localized death of tissue due to injury or lack of oxygen
• Ulceration: An area of tissue necrosis that penetrates below the epidermis
• Patient's discomfort or embarrassment can be decreased by approaching the situation courteously and professionally
• Patient should be taken to a specific dressing area and shown how to close the dressing room door or draw the curtain while undressing
• Clearly explain how to put on the examining gown and where to go for the examination once prepared
• Patient should be given hangers for clothing and valuables should be treated with special care to prevent loss or theft
• When moving a patient, always obtain enough assistance for safety
• Immobilizers must be ordered by the physician and used in compliance with institutional policy
• Wheelchair Transfer:

  • Patients should never get off a table or onto a wheelchair without assistance
• Supine position:

  • Patient is flat on the back, with feet and neck protected
• Lateral recumbent position:

  • Patient is on the right or left side with both knees flexed
• Prone position:

  • Patient lies face down with head supported to prevent cervical spine flexion
• High Fowler position:

  • Patient semi-sits with head raised at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees off the table
• Semi-Fowler position:

  • Patient’s head is raised at an angle of 15 to 30 degrees off the table
• Sims position:

  • Patient lies on either side with knees bent, used for diagnostic imaging of the lower bowel
• Trendelenburg position:

  • The table or bed is inclined with the patient’s head lower than the rest of the body