The MRI Scanner

Over the last several years, a wide variety of health care organizations have been facing a number of challenges. This is because of pressures associated with: rising costs, increasing demands and larger numbers of patients. For many facilities this has created a situation where patient safety issues are often overlooked. This is because the staff is facing tremendous amounts of pressure, long hours and more patients. The combination of these factors has created a situation where a variety of hospitals need to improve their patient safety procedures. In the case of Sharp Memorial Hospital, they are focused on addressing these issues through different strategies. To fully understand how they are able to achieve these objectives requires looking at: specific ways the organization has responded to the crisis in medical errors, their definition of patient safety, the causes of errors, systematic barriers and transformations that have been adopted. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to how the facility is coping with the crisis in patient safety.

The original transcript report and the MRI films are attached to the patient’s files and sent to the basement for filing and storage.

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.

The core purpose of the national patient safety goals is to indeed promote and improve patient safety. The Joint Commission (2015) lists several of them in its 2015 National Patient Safety Goals. One of the goals the author wants to elaborate more upon is: prevent mistakes in surgery. This paper will include an overview about the aforementioned national patient safety goal. It includes three methods to be followed to be able to achieve the said safety goal. The paper also highlights the importance of the issue to the general public, to the health care institutions, and to the health care professionals. Financial implications of not achieving the goal is also explored in this paper. This national patient safety goal is a multidisciplinary issue. The important roles of other professionals will be discussed as well as nursing leadership.

“The ASRT Office of Practice Standards was established in 2004” to set out a guideline for continuing education. Continuing education means to keep up to date on all the new health codes, practices, equipment, and standards for taking care of patients. This in addition, is important for those who are looking into radiography or any other medical field because it teaches them how to correctly and safely treat a patient and execute what his or her job encompasses. With all the new technology coming out these days, I know I would want to know all about it so I can effectively perform my duty to the highest

The quality of medical imaging is of the utmost importance in terms of safety, and must be strictly regulated through federal legislature in addition to state legislature, ensuring the persons administering radiation are held to the highest of standards. Successfully completing accredited programs in radiologic sciences, having thorough knowledge of and resolute compliance with the rules of ethics, as well as achieving certification through the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (A.R.R.T.) by means of examination warrants an imaging professional with the tools necessary to provide and maintain a safe environment for themselves and their patients alike. Respectively, all of these components contribute to a health care professional’s

For this reason patients must be aware that there is not a such thing as a safe amount of ionizing radiation. No matter how small the amount, x-rays produce ionizing radiation which is damaging to human tissue and therefore all procedures involving x-ray exposure to the patient are considered dangerous. This being the case, those who administer x-rays should be very knowledgeable about the energy they are dealing with, sadly this is not always the reality we live in. The article titled U.S. Technologists' Radiation Exposure Perceptions and Practices states that "Current literature documents excessive radiation doses from medical uses and a lack of necessary education for physicians, fluoroscopists (ie, cardiologists, radiologist, neurologists, and others trained to perform fluoroscopy) and patients concerning the benefits and dangers of medical radiation."5 This is a huge problem in the concept of patient safety when dealing with the use of ionizing radiation for medical procedures. If those administering the x-rays do not completely understand their dangers than how is a patient who most likely knows very little about the subject suppose to be the safest possible during the

Although Radiologic Technologist (R.T.’s) are most likely known as just someone who takes x-rays they do much more than that. They are responsible for setting up the x-ray equipment along with positioning a patient anatomically correct in order to take the x-rays. All while explaining the procedure to the patient (Duke University 2015). If that is not enough, they are also supposed to make sure that the correct patient is the one being examined beforehand. During the examination, if a patient is connected to an IV or a breathing device they are also supposed to make sure that it is operating properly. Making sure that a patient is comfortable, safe, and modest. So if anything where to happen R.T’s are ready to handle any medical emergency. Most importantly R.T’s are responsible for the images they are taking making sure the quality is nice and clear. The job of the Radiologic Technologist is not over when they are done with caring for a

Radiology and the development of the first X-ray has been around for over a century and throughout that journey the practice of radiography has acquired more aspects to the career. For instance, 100 years ago it was all about taking an X-ray. Now the radiologic technologist, which is a licensed tech that takes radiographic images, has other practices to accomplish. Those include, but are not limited to, longer patient interaction and patient care, and how these other aspects affect the technologist as well. This research paper will discuss the enforcement and practice of patient care and how it is often overlooked in the health care field today. This dissertation will analyze and conclude certain practices and enforcement of patient care based information from reputable and appropriate sources. Patient care has developed immensely over the years and is something that is important in the medical field, and one day may not even deal with only human interaction. Robotics may be integrated into the system, trying to replace and/or assist with the human help already in place. This is why it is imperative that the R.T. 's follow and practice the proper techniques for patient care.

There are no known harmful effects from exposure to the magnetic field or radio waves used in MRI.

As a radiographer patient safety is an essential part of the scope of practice that cannot be taken lightly. This essay will look at a scenario where patient safety is compromised and the effect this can have on a career. The implications on the radiographer’s career will be discussed in alliance with the Radiographers scope of practice and Medical Law.

During a brain MRI, a special mechanism called a head coil is placed around the patient's head to assist in producing very detailed images of the brain. The head coil does not touch the person, and the person can see through large gaps in the coil. A spine MRI is normally used to look for a herniated disk or narrowing of the spinal canal in patients with neck, arm, back, and leg pain. It is also the best examination to use to search for a recurrent disk herniation in a patient who has had prior back surgery. A bone and joint MRI can be used to check virtually all of the bones, joints, and soft tissues; it can be used to identify injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, cartilage, and bones. A MRI of the abdomen is most commonly used to look more specifically at an abnormality seen on another test, such as an ultrasound or a CT scan. The exam is usually customized to look at such organs as the liver, pancreas, or adrenal glands. For female patients, a pelvic MRI provides a more detailed look at the ovaries and uterus and is often used to follow up an abnormality seen on ultrasound. For male patients, a pelvic MRI is sometimes used to check those diagnosed with prostate cancer. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) depicts the blood vessels. The blood vessels in the neck and brain are often studied by MRA to look for areas of narrowing or widening. In the abdomen, the arteries supplying blood to the kidneys are also

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves and a magnetic field to show images and structures in the human body. Because computerized tomography (CT) scans, ultrasounds and x-rays all have limitations on what images they can show, an MRI is often preferable to doctors when trying to diagnose what is wrong with a patient.

A MRI scanner mainly stands for magnetic resonance imaging. The MRI uses lots of magnetic fields and also helps scan with radio waves to create pictures of your inner tissues, organs and other body parts. The MRI scanner has strong magnetic fields that help a line all the particles that are called protons that are close to the hydrogen atoms. All of the protons that are inside the body line up against the magnetic field, because they react like little magnets.

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.