What is it about?
An evaluation of the service provided by a UK radiology department found that team working, utilising the skills of radiographers, reporting radiographers, sonographers and radiologists, has produced significant improvements in patient care in an efficient manner. Waiting times for appointments and the time taken to deliver results to doctors have improved despite increases in activity.
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Why is it important?
Patient focused care is the priority of all healthcare professionals worldwide. Workloads in radiology departments have seen sustained, significant increases with little sign of abating, and there is renewed emphasis on the efficient use of resources. Embracing the concept of team working, this study demonstrates that significant improvements to performance can be made; reduced waiting times, shorter report turnaround times through the use of advanced practitioner radiographers and sonographers. The introduction of radiographer and sonographer reporting did not adversely impact on safety, as evidenced by discrepancy analysis. This study provides a model for improvements in radiology departments worldwide.
Perspectives
Although the use of advanced practitioner radiographers reporting radiographers and sonographers) is established across the United Kingdom there is little evidence which demonstrates the contribution to the delivery of an effective, efficient and patient focused service. This evaluation contributes to the growing body of evidence highlighting the contribution of advanced practice and can serve as a template for departments implementing these roles.
Nick Woznitza
Homerton University Hospital
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Optimizing patient care in radiology through team-working: A case study from the United Kingdom, Radiography, August 2014, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.radi.2014.02.007.
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