Infection Control
Since the manual handling task requires close contact with the patient, all handlers should follow strict infection control protocols in ICU. A recent study showed that by strictly following infection control protocols the incidence of hospital-acquired infections could be reduced (8). In addition, an observational study concluded that better hospital-wide infection control would reduce the number of MRSA-positive patients admitted to ICU and acquisition of MRSA within ICU (9). Therefore, it is important to minimize the spread of the infection by performing the following aseptic techniques.
Hand washing is the most important methods of preventing the spread of infection (7). Radiographers should wash their hands before
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However, there is no universal approach and best practices must be adapted to fit the epidemiology of specific ICUs and should also consider the available resources (10).
Radiation safety
Radiation safety of patients, radiographers and other individuals in ICU should be considered according to the “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA) principle. General radiation safety principles include time, distance and shielding (7). Since the patient is male, no pregnancy check is needed.
To protect the patient, the length of time that a patient remains in the path of the x-ray beam should be minimized. Therefore, it is important for radiographers to avoid unnecessary repeats and thus unnecessary exposure. Gonad shielding should be used on patients if possible, which is particularly important for young patients. In addition, proper collimations and adjusted exposure factors should be applied according to patient situations to minimize radiation dose (7).
Radiographers should protect themselves as well. The time spent in radiation fields should be limited by taking shifts. Radiographers should stand as far away from source as possible to increase distance between radiation source and themselves. They should stand behind appropriate radiation shields or, more commonly, wear appropriate protection (7). According to a previous study, lead apron is the most common method of radiation protection as it may
Radiologic technology is a satisfying and rewarding career. It is a technical and refined science. As a radiological technologist, there are many essential duties and responsibilities that have to be fulfilled in order to be a good one. First of all, radiological technologists have to maintain a well-mannered and professional behavior when gathering information. They have to assure their patients that they are in good hands therefore; they give patients the uppermost quality of care and services. Second of all, the main responsibility of a healthcare provider is to keep all knowledge of a patient’s health record confidential or secluded. That means radiological technologists cannot talk about patients at home or with friends and classmates
Implementation of patient care practices for infection control is the role of the nursing staff. Nurses are responsible for maintaining hygiene, consistent with hospital policies and good nursing practice on the ward and monitoring aseptic techniques, including hand-washing and use of isolation. It is also in their scope of practice to promptly report to the attending physician any evidence of infection in patients under the nurse’s care and initiating patient isolation and ordering culture specimens from any patient showing signs of a communicable disease, when the physician is not immediately available. Limiting patient exposure to infections from visitors, hospital staff, other patients, or equipment used for diagnosis or treatment and maintaining
The article Radiation Protection of Medical Staff1 looks at the various occupational hazards medical imaging personnel face on a day to day basis. As technology has improved over the years, there has been an increase in the number of medical imaging procedures in which medical imaging staff must stay in the room or near the patient when the radiation exposure takes place. Because of this, medical imaging personnel could be at a substantial risk of occupational exposure to radiation and they must be aware of the proper actions and steps that are in place to keep their occupational exposure dose as low as reasonably achievable.
cross-infection. On account of this, after come into contact with the patient or any objects in the isolation room hands should have washed with liquid soap then thoroughly dried with soft paper hand towels. Alternatively, if no contact with body fluids has occurred, hands may be decontaminated using alcohol hand gel which is available at the end of the patient’s bed and outside isolation rooms (McKibben L, 2005). The following hand washing procedures are recommended.
The priority nursing diagnosis of hospital acquired infection is risk for any kind of infection. One of the main goals for each patient in the hospital is the patient will remain free of infection as evidence by absence of heat, pain, redness, or swelling in any area of the patient’s body during each nurse’s shift. (care plan book). Frequently hand washing is the best intervention for preventing infection. Hand washing reduces the risk of transmission of pathogens by inhibiting the growth of or killing the microorganisms. (cb)Proper sterile technique during urinary
I agree with you that doses are very small. I see your point of caring for the patient and not necessarily use a lead shield. However, remember the rules of personal protection: Time, Dose and Distance. If you have a procedure that might take you an hour and you will spend it with a patient, you will be exposed to a higher dose of radiation. I would think that in this particular example, we should use a lead shield, because we want to minimize/ decrease our annual dose of radiation exposure. If we will neglect all the safety rules, we might be in trouble. You always wear your seat belt while driving, right? It will increase your chance of survival during a car accident. Some people neglect to do that, like my husband, and his risk of being
Describe different types of infection control precautions. Why is it important to follow infection control guidelines? Describe the importance of hand-washing.
The purpose of this assignment is to find a topic in patient care that is significant in patient care in radiography. Then review and summarize an article pertaining to this topic that was selected. Then it will be connected to how it is valuable it is as a future radiographer and to professionals and how it is relevant. The topic that will be discussed is the effect on radiation exposure in pediatric patients with c-arm fluoroscopy. This is because one of the most common radiographic procedures for pediatric patients is fluoroscopy and it is important to lower their radiation dose as much as possible. C-arm is known to have high amounts of radiation to the patient and if a patient is exposed to radiation it increases their risk for problems
The journal article "Radiation Protection in Computed Tomography imaging" wrote by Jason Bond, R.T. (R). Radiologic Technology published the article in July/August 2016. In the article, the author addressed radiation protection methods in Computed Tomography Imaging. The author believes best CT image and achieve ALARA, require proper competency of the radiologic technologists and personnel. The author highlighted the importance of proper training, be familiar with dose-saving features and staying competency in lower radiation dose. The author stated the importance of lower radiation dose in Computed Tomography Imaging by comparing the chest CT exposure dose to a routine chest radiograph. "A routine chest radiography, for example, delivers a dose of approximately 0.02 mSv to the patient, whereas a chest CT delivers a dose of approximately 8 mSv, a 400-fold increase between the 2 modalities (Bond, July/ August 2016)." The author using qualitative data support and summarized the effective methods of radiation protection methods in Computed Tomography Imaging. The author using the recent reference to back up his hypothesis, all reference was chosen is within five years. The author concluded, to achieve
Kara, U., & Akkurt, I. (2016). Radiation exposure of medical staff in interventional radiology. Acta Physica Polonica, A, 130(1), 404-406. doi:10.12693/APhysPolA.130.404
When it comes to patient protection they should be provided with protective aprons and a thyroid collar at all times. Every precaution should be used to limit the radiation exposure while in a dental lavatory In order to ensure that the x-ray unit is working properly there should be quality checks, specifically on the x-ray unit itself and the patient shielding equipment. Quality assurance checks will make sure the patient is getting the lowest dose of radiation possible , by keeping the radiograph unit at full functional capacity Standardized protocols and techniques that have the suggested limitations for taking x-rays should be used to optimize the amount of exposure a patient receives. The tooth structure and positioning of x-ray tube
The effects of radiation can be hazardous to any part of the human body. In this guide I will explain the advantages, and disadvantages of x-ray radiation. I will also discuss the technological advances that we have today then of what we had the past on the human body during radiation exposure. I will explain preventions of exposure and safety precautions that we as dental assistants as well as patients can follow to stay safe.
In the x-ray theatre enclosed shoes were worn at all times, we also stood behind lead lined glass when taking the images to ensure the lowest unnecessary exposure to radiation. Along with this, radiation signs were turned on above the doors outside whilst in the lab was in use alerting other people using the rooms that radiation was in use. These safety procedures are extremely important in the lab as we are exposed to large amounts of radiation during our time as radiographers.
Exposure to ionizing radiation is of concern to many medical practitioners. The risks of radiation exposure are well documented within the scientific literature and include cataract formation, skin cancer, thyroid disease and leukaemia.1 Medical staff who work in the operating theatre are a sizable population potentially at risk for these complications.2 With advances in medical technology in past decades and an ongoing trend towards minimally invasive techniques, there has been a significant increase in the use of fluoroscopy.3-5 During fluoroscopic procedures staff are exposed to both direct and scattered radiation. Procedures that require long fluoroscopic screening times, such as interventional radiology, cardiology and orthopaedic surgery, place the proceduralist at high risk of radiation exposure. Orthopaedic surgeons must often remain close to the x-ray beam during procedures and cannot use distance to reduce radiation exposure.
When assisting the patient, the radiographers have to make sure they provide radiation safety not only for the patient but also for themselves. There are many different methods to providing safety. With the equipment and radiation dosage, highest KVp and the lowest mAs is used to provide the minimum amount of dosage required for the procedure. Furthermore, safety can be provided by reducing the amount of rime in radiation area, by putting as much distance between you and the radiation source as possible. When performing a portable examination stand at least six feet from x-ray source and wear a lead apron. The patient should remove any jewelry or metal accessories that may interfere with radiation procedure and both the technologist and the patient needs to wear protective lead shields for example lead gloves, aprons, skirts and thyroid shields to protect the other body parts from the radiation. It is advised to also always wear monitoring device at collar level. Lastly, the technologist uses immobilization devices to hold the patients when needed.