Keywords:
Management, Safety, Radiation safety
Authors:
C. E. Lee-Elliott, J. Edington, M. Stevenson; Poole/UK
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2010/C-2994
Results
Radiation Dose
| radiographer 1
| radiographer 2
| radiologists | hospital 1 | hospital 2 | national DRL |
Screening time (mins) | 0.87 | 0.8 | 0.49 -2.26 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.2 |
Dose (cGycm2) | 83.1 | 72.5 | 40 - 614 | 200 - 400 | 350 - 500 | 1100 |
Patient Satisfaction
Patients were asked to rate their experience during their Barium Swallow appointment, by means of a questionnaire. They were asked to rate the explanation, pre appointment and whilst in the department. This revealed only 7% were unsatisfied and comments were provided to help improve the service. For example, could more information be sent out prior to attendance.
Activity
Activity increased throughout the audit period by approximately 10% per year, but the waiting times remained below 2 weeks.
Report Accuracy
Radiographer reporting accuracy was 97%
All patients were double reported by a Radiographer and Radiologist. Any discrepancies were reported for a third time by a Gold Standard Radiologist. Inexperience had led the Radiographers to overcall the existance of webs and hiatus hernia, but 2 interesting cases are detailed below
| Radiographer 1 | Radiographer 2 | Total |
Outpatient | 206 | 192 | 398 (69%) |
GP | 78 | 68 | 146 (25%) |
Inpatient | 24 | 6 | 30 (6%) |
Total | 308 | 266 | 574 |
Discrepancies | 10 (3%) | 8 (2.5%) | |
Case Study 1
A 68 year old female was admitted from ENT clinic with an enlarged node in her right neck:she had a history of lymphocytic leukaemia and rheumatoid.
A barium swallow was performed the next day, a section of which is seen in figure 1. The radiographer reported an unusual thyroid, the radiologist reported it as normal. An MRI revealed enlarged nodes and thickened epiglottic folds, ultrasound biopsy was unremarkable and chest xray normal. Following a tracheostomy for supraglottic oedema, a CT revealed a large supra glottic tumour.
Case Study 2
A 61 year old female was referred through out-patient clinic with a history of an odd sensation in her throat. A Barium Swallow was performed. The radiographer reported a web but both Radiologists disagreed and instead noted an aberrant right subclavian artery. The image of this is shown in Fig. 2.