Vesta Teleradiology

Professional Healthcare Workers: Overcoming Burnout

Healthcare workers on the brink of burnout often feel overwhelmed and out of control. It is difficult for them to describe the exhaustion and fatigue they experience–even at the beginning of a work shift. These feelings intensify as the relentless weeks continue.

burnout radiologist

A worker’s burnout symptoms can surface in many ways. It can be recognized by a worker’s inability to identify with their job, feelings of inadequacy in their profession, and a weariness that blankets their personal and professional lives.

Front line health workers have little relief from the expectations of their jobs, and they experience constant requests from people in pain and with desperate needs. Also, staff shortages plague the industry, spreading the work responsibilities to a minimal amount of workers.

Most health care professionals enter the field with a sincere desire to help other people, but the extreme emotional pressure of the profession can drain even the most dedicated individuals.

Every person’s strategy to get through difficult times is as different as the circumstances that perpetuated the feelings of burnout. Taking just a few minutes to evaluate what has worked in the past is helpful in realizing a starting point for an individualized healing plan.

As a healthcare team or individual, it is constructive to prepare a list of self-care evaluations and strategies to tailor healing plans. Healthcare workers rarely consider self-care at the top of their list of things to do.

A written checklist reduces the need for a person to think about how to fix yet another problem and provides an avenue to an instant action plan when a healthcare worker’s emotions and nerves are frayed.

Checklist Suggestions

Would a walk or run be helpful right now?
Do you need a safe distance between yourself and others?
Sit down, close your eyes and breathe in to the count of 4 and breathe out to the count of 4. Continue until you can relax your shoulders.
Would exercise before work be helpful? Maybe walking or riding your bike to work might give you emotional preparation time for the shift?
Do you need fun activities like dancing, singing, camping, or anything else that may give you pleasure? Schedule the time to do that right now.
Are you eating healthy food?
Are you drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated?
Are you sleeping well? If not, what will help you sleep 7 to 9 needed hours?
Are you increasing the use of alcohol and other drugs? If so, do you need help?
Are you staying in contact with family and friends for added support?
Do you need a friend? Remember, you are part of a team–you are not alone. Many others are working alongside you with similar circumstances or feelings.
Do you need additional emotional support?
Would journaling about your feelings be helpful to you?

burnout healthcare

The purpose of this checklist is to allow ideas to flow and assist a person in defining the individual needs at any given time. This process also allows healthcare workers to remain in control of their decisions for change.

Management can be instrumental in providing their Healthcare Workers with the needed support to avoid staff burnout. Management can provide added recognition to staff members for the work they do and structure a work environment that encourages self-care.

Vesta Teleradiology: here for you, even on weekends

Vesta – an tech-driven, patient-centered radiology solutions provider–understands the importance of giving healthcare workers the time they need to recharge and rest. That’s why our radiologists work day, nights, weekends and holidays. Look to Vesta for reliable, outsourced radiology interpretations and customized reports for your patients.

Innovations in Cardiac Imaging

In 1895, Wilhelm Rontgen accidentally discovered X-rays. Since then, imaging technology has drastically advanced in all areas of healthcare, including cardiac imaging.

Medical professionals in the 1960s were using ultrasound imaging, and technicians developed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography in the 1970s. With these tools, the advancement of cardiac imaging escalated, creating real-time diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

Advancing technology allowed cardiac physicians to perform diagnostic cardiac imaging like echocardiography and myocardial perfusion imaging in their medical offices. The trend for in-office imaging moved more to hospital settings because of the reduction of reimbursement rates in 2005 and the rapid technological changes in the industry.

Innovative technology advancement has needed to be a conglomeration of industrial, government, and academic research for cardiac imagery development to advance. Engineers, industry clinicians, and scientists have all participated in any advancements.

Two technology areas in cardiac imaging have had significant development over the past 15 years–nuclear cardiology and echocardiography.

Nuclear Cardiology

Nuclear Cardiology uses noninvasive techniques to assess and evaluate blood flow and define the internal location of a heart attack.

Commonly called positron emissions tomography (PET scans) or Computed X-ray tomography (CT scans), physicians can use this technology to discover the extent of heart muscle damage and the heart’s pumping function.

Nuclear Cardiology has proven to be a superior method for safe and cost-effective diagnosis. Technicians have upgraded cameras, giving physicians higher sensitivity and resolution views than the previous models used.

Echocardiography

Echocardiography uses sound waves to display moving pictures of how heart chambers and valves work. This process can define areas where the heart muscles are not receiving adequate blood flow.

Physicians use echocardiography to locate possible blood clots within the heart and problems with the aorta. Physicians can also detect fluid buildup in the heart’s surrounding sac using echocardiography.

Echocardiography helps detect pediatric heart conditions because of the painless efficiency of the study.

The Future of Cardiac Imagery

Specialists have improved every technological aspect of cardiovascular practice within the past 50 years. Superior refinements in resolutions, measurement processes, and efficiency improve existing processes.

As with most technology-based sciences, the miniaturization of electrocardiography equipment will be the trend. Pocket-sized devices and combining diagnostic modalities through apps and computer applications will keep pace with changing health care practices.

Software development to capture real-time cardiac function and define the health of myocardial tissue is part of the newer developments in the field. Technicians are also refining more affordable methods of Cardiac MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) through research.

A shift in diagnostic technology is advancing in identifying and decreasing cardiovascular risk in patients. Improved imagery will better equip physicians in preventing adverse outcomes. Physicians can more easily define patients’ risk of cardiac issues during exercise and stress-induced blood flow issues.

Another benefit to early detection and assessment of the cardiac disease process through imagery will be a better understanding of all the cardiac elements involved, leading to the development of new pharmaceutical drugs to prolong patient lives.

cardiac imaging tech — New innovations in cardiac imaging

Cardiac Imagery will always be one of the best diagnostic tools available. Physicians and research teams assessing the cost-effectiveness and better patient outcomes will define the best approaches and safety in patient care management.

Outsourced Radiology

Vesta Radiologists are versed a cardiac imaging reading and a variety of other subspecialties. Further, we work nights and weekends so your staff can get the needed rest they require.

Please contact Vesta for outsourced radiology needs at 1-877-55-VESTA

What Cancer Patients Expect From Doctors

Having cancer is terrifying. No matter how brave a person can seem on the outside, inside they are scared. When an oncology patient goes to see their doctor, they are vulnerable and have deep expectations.

Ultimately, patients expect their doctor(s) to help them. This pertains to emotional support, health and medical concerns, legal rights, and even spiritual needs. Establishing good patient-provider communication is the cornerstone of this important relationship.

Many patients have taken the popular patient-directed approach to deal with a diagnosis with the patient doing their own research, not all patients view their role in this way though. Some patients are “old school” and expect their doctor to be the informed leader and wisely guide them through their journey, especially older patients. A combination of provider-directed and patient-directed approaches is reasonable. Through this process, a doctor’s ability to assist a patient through the stress and emotions of their diagnosis is critical. Reading verbal and non-verbal cues is one of the most important skills a doctor can offer their patients. Next, a doctor needs to offer what they know their patients need, providing comfort or knowledge or listening or other support. Last, an effective provider helps their patient share power by allowing meaningful involvement in care choices.

patient expectations — A nurse watches over patient

In addition, cancer patients expect their doctors to tell them the truth. Hearing bad news is hard. Telling someone bad news is hard also, but it is a necessary skill that patients need their doctors to be able to perform well. Providers need to be capable within the role of informing their patients of uncomfortable and scary information. An appropriate balance as a compassionate, matter-of-fact communicator is important to affect positive patient outcomes. This includes the swift viewing capability to private electronic medical information, in-person consultation, and sharing information with the family. Keeping in mind that truth without compassion is cruelty, cancer patients want their doctors to allow them free access to the truth about themselves as they are ready to receive it, and that their information record is 100% private and secure.

Upholding the Patients’ Bill of Rights and HIPAA is another expectation a cancer patient has of their doctor. Although the right to access and affect their medical records and who sees them belongs to the patient, the doctor’s awareness and voice to ensure they remain protected can strengthen trust between the patient and doctor. Privacy and confidentiality are extremely important to many patients. When a doctor upholds a federal law designed for protecting patients at a time life may seem bleak, the horizon can seem a little brighter.

patient care — Cancer patients expect truth and transparency

Vesta Teleradiology works with doctors, hospitals, and all types of healthcare facilities in order to bring superior radiology support. Our radiologists work nights, weekends, and holidays. Look to Vesta for a radiology company that is focused on helping you provide optimal care to your patients.

Busy Hospital Staffing Challenges and Solutions

Practically every healthcare delivery system has had staffing challenges. The financial impact has seriously stressed resources, staff safety, and the quality of patient care.

Survey data shows a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033 and the need for an additional 200,000 nurses per year to replace the retiring nursing staff alone. These numbers do not reflect the current increasing operational staffing needs because of the pandemic.

Over the last few years, hospitals and health care workers have been battling the COVID-19 pandemic at great expense. In addition to a staffing system that was already overtaxed, polls found about 3 out of 10 health care workers have considered leaving their profession. The top reason for the workers wanting to change was documented as “emotional health and wellbeing of staff.”

covid staffing issues — COVID has presented many healthcare staffing issues

Patient care suffers when medical workers experience stress and fatigue in the workplace. Overworked workers may experience loss of concentration, irritability, impaired judgment, and slower reaction times.

The hospital’s need to replace and expand physicians and nursing staff comes with a significant financial price. Along with the continual need to interview, train, and bring new teams on board, hospitals have additional expenditures of temporary staff coverage.

New technology has been made available to hospitals to fine-tune the evaluation of staffing needs. The software has been provided to hospital administrations to use artificial intelligence and workflow automation that gives insight into the hospital’s current and future staffing needs. These evaluations permit hospital administrations to be proactive and staff their facilities based on the actual demand.

healthcare labor — Healthcare hiring has become more challenging

Once a healthcare facility understands what the staffing needs are, Administrators can approach creative ways of hiring by:

Using professional publications, professional job boards, and social media links.
Offering current staff financial incentives to refer friends, family members, and acquaintances.
Contacting medical schools and training centers.

Creating a desirable facility to work in is the best way to entice new staff members. Creating a work environment that staff is dedicated to being a part of will be a selling point to new staff members and will increase the retention of existing staff.

Solicited information of what health care workers desire in the workplace has been expressed by the following:

Flexible work schedules that take into consideration the worker’s home life situations (children, aging parents, etc.)
Competitive compensation that includes first-rate salaries, vacation time, gym memberships, health benefits, child care, and added education benefits
Maintaining adequate staffing and lower workload ratios
Inventories of safety supplies, equipment, and vaccinations for disease control and worker’s health
Routine communication between administration and staff for a clear understanding of what is needed, and a positive environment

Staffing a hospital requires excellent communication to understand “front line” staffing concerns.

With the administrator’s attention to these concerns, a desirable environment for new hires, along with long-term retention of existing staff is achievable.

Vesta and Momentum Healthcare Staffing

Aside from Vesta’s teleradiology and telemedicine services, Vesta also offers top-to-bottom healthcare staffing. Our objective is to connect highly qualified clinicians and healthcare facilities with the best opportunities.

Improving Patient Care with Innovative Technology

Tech in Hospitals Today

Physicians in private practice continually seek new ways to improve their patient’s care. Technology has provided an efficient and cost-effective way to maximize the delivery of health care services.

Medical communication between primary care, specialists, laboratory analysts, and hospitals has been improved and expedited through the efficiency of mobile technology and online resources.

Staff can update patient charts throughout an entire system with one update. Physicians can prescribe treatment plans within minutes, whereas before, information would sometimes take days.

The medical profession has mostly eliminated paper charts. Unique office organization methods (and some problematic handwriting) are no longer an issue with medical updating.

Technology has also offered physicians the ability to expand their office business using mobile devices and laptops. Physicians can visit and provide updates to their patients who can remain in the comfort of their homes.

Technology has provided physicians the ability to monitor special needs patients at home or in hospital settings without leaving their offices. This ability reduces the possible transmission of disease and infection from sources outside the patient’s environment.

Evolving Technology

Paper replacement and monitoring are not the only promising technology additions that will benefit physicians’ offices in the future.

Handheld ultrasound imaging has become affordable equipment. Researchers figured out how to put ultrasound technology into a computer chip rather than a $100,000 machine in a hospital. The program simply connects to an iPhone app.

Faster, more efficient diagnostic information is available within the confines of a physician’s office now. Programs are available that can scan the 2 million peer-reviewed research papers published every year. Clinical trial results and biomedical information can provide a physician with relationships between drugs, disease, and genes within a few minutes.

Digital capture of radiology imaging allows teleradiology reduced records to be transported almost immediately to any specialist with an internet connection. Time-sensitive treatments for head injuries and strokes can be prescribed, and more lives in rural and remote locations will be saved.

The future holds more integration of telemedicine and decision support systems for physicians. Equipment and smaller devices are more affordable to the physicians as well.

More services such as more complex surgeries may be available to physicians’ offices. With the advancement of telementoring and telerobotic surgeries, physicians may perform surgeries in their offices that would typically be performed in a hospital.

tech in hospitals

Evidence-based information and technologies can improve patient care, save lives, and save money anywhere and everywhere the internet is available–even from the physician’s office.

Vesta’s Tech Solutions

Vesta Teleradiology wants to improve both your experience as well as your patients’ experience. That’s why we offer tools and customizable reports that work WITH your current workflow as well as offering teleradiology to supplement your current needs. Efficiency, quick turnaround times and US Board Certified Radiologists are what make Vesta a formidable partner for your healthcare facility.

Patient Comfort During Diagnostic Imaging

The role of the radiologist has changed over recent years. The health care world once thought of these professionals as sitting in a dark room interpreting imaging data and writing reports.

Today, diagnostic imaging is used by physicians more, and the radiologist’s role has become more centrally involved with patient care. There are opportunities to connect to the patients during the diagnostic imaging process that other health care providers don’t have.

Patient comfort during any healthcare procedure provides a series of activities that gain trust and provide emotional security in the process. Diagnosticians’ communication with their patients must convey that the staff is dependable, empathetic, and knowledgeable.

Environment

When patients first arrive for their appointment, they may be apprehensive and anxious about what their diagnostic imaging may reveal about their health and future.

The waiting room is where the patients not only wait for their appointment, but it is a place where they can talk with family members. Giving the seating lots of space allows areas with quiet corners for people to speak and express anxieties they may be experiencing.

A waiting room with plants, windows, and possibly waterfalls and nature scenes provides space for relaxation, gathering thoughts, and exploring possible questions about the procedure.

Physical Comfort

Diagnosticians performing a baseline assessment of the patient’s pain levels before, during, and after any invasive procedure is essential. It is also necessary to educate staff on any pain control protocols.

Patients appreciate simple office organization like short wait times in scheduling to minimize stress. Patients also appreciate comfortable procedure gowns, comfortable room temperatures, and warm blankets, along with sheets and pillows covering the procedure tables.

By reducing the technology sounds like beepers and overhead speakers, patients can have an easier time relaxing.

Communication

Effective communication can begin with the diagnostician partnering with the patient and their families to ensure that needs and preferences are being met. By involving the patient and their family, decision-making becomes more straightforward and more confident.

Patient-centered communication skills encourage the patient to talk about psychosocial issues that may affect their health or procedures. Through this communication process, the diagnostician can respect their patient’s requests and values and address or provide counseling and resources for patient support.

patient doctor communication

The top priority in the patient and health care provider relationship is maintaining an open and honest relationship. Diagnosticians can be sure the patient understands the procedures and the results of the processes by spending time, and using any tools that can assist is most valuable.

Tools like questionnaires, pamphlets, and visual aids can help the health care provider explain the benefits, risks, procedures, and processes or what is happening with the patient’s health.

Paying attention to the patient’s emotional concerns and using their own words when encouraging them to express themselves builds their trust with their health care providers.

Imaging diagnosticians can use the time spent with the patient as teachable moments. For example, during mammography appointments, staff can inform and educate patients about the importance of colon screening and bone density tests.

It is also crucial for health care providers to practice restraint and allow quiet time for their patients. There is sometimes a tremendous amount of information to process, and it takes time for patients to deal with their feelings and formulate essential questions they may have.

enhanced patient experience

The importance of diagnostic imaging will continue to expand in the health care field. Advancements in cancer treatments, diagnoses, and disease prevention rely heavily on the professionalism of diagnostic imaging.

These health care professionals can experience positive relationships and trust with their patients by providing needed emotional support and conveying a genuine sense of caring.

Vesta Teleradiology wants to help you make your patients’ experience as streamlined as possible. That’s why we offer tools and customizable reports that work WITH your current workflow. We also offer 24x7x365 radiology reading services so your radiologists can have a better work life balance.

Solution and Ideas for Rural Hospital Challenges

Rural hospitals are the cornerstones of many rural communities. Not only are these facilities access points of care, but they are also significant financial support to rural areas by being primary employers.

These facilities are essential to the rural communities and make them vulnerable to financial difficulties. There are limited resources to comply with the increasing regulations on these facilities. Also, revenues are minimal due to low patient volume, shortage of physicians and other health care professionals, and a higher number of elderly, poor, and underinsured residents, along with a higher chronic illness rate.

small regional hospitals

The North Carolina Rural Health Research Program reported 95 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2018, resulting in a total loss of local care in some communities. Rural hospitals serve 20% of the population in the United States, making the survival of rural hospitals a priority in the health care system.

To explore solutions to the problems, in 2019, the American College of Radiology distributed a 22 question survey to explore the rural hospital systems’ staffing, recruitment, and retention issues. The responses showed interventional radiologist trained physicians either “do not want to do diagnostic work” (56.2%) or “do not want to practice in a small or rural setting” (48.8%)

The health care communities are continually exploring new models of care to improve these overall challenges rural hospitals face. Government entities and corporate and private organizations continue to explore

changing policies and enacting legislation for this health services dilemma to strengthen the viability of our rural health care systems.

Technology

Expanding the use of the internet has provided a wide choice of tools for rural hospitals to provide better health outcomes for the patients and better workload and communication for the workers.

Technology specialists have categorized solutions that may apply specifically to the rural health care systems.

More Accessible Health Information

Technology can create better communication between patients and health care providers to enhance treatment options, along with access to electronic records.

Digital Imaging

Digital imaging equipment and scanners that digitize documents and images allow radiology, pathology, and cardiology specialists to interpret these images in co-operative care centers at any distance.

Real-Time Patient Monitoring

Specialists can remotely monitor their patients in rural facilities for cardiac and ICU care.

Cooperation between health care partners is essential in the success of technology solutions for rural health care facilities. There are a variety of resources to explore if technology may seem like a viable solution.

Empowering Patients

Health care and health insurance options can be confusing, and many patients have difficulty understanding the process to get the care they need.

Each rural community has unique methods of networking and communicating. Working with existing community communication systems and creating more outreach methods to distribute

easy-to-understand materials can help patients understand their options better and make better-informed choices.

Funding

Funding for changes to the rural health care systems has come chiefly from grants. Still, cooperative agreements with associations, larger medical centers, and government entities have produced remarkable opportunities for outlying area medical facilities.

Team Effort

Partners from many organizations, health associations, vendors, government agencies, hospitals, healthcare organizations, funding groups, existing networks, and telemedicine programs are available to assist rural communities in need.

By identifying common objectives with other organizations, rural hospitals can specify health delivery problems and staffing issues to offer products and services to meet the rural facilities’ unique requirements.

By working together and overcoming obstacles rural hospitals are experiencing, the healthcare field, and the strength of the rural communities, can endure and experience a brighter future.

Vesta Teleradiology works with healthcare facilities in rural areas. No matter how large or small, we aim to help you provide the best healthcare possible for your patients. Our US Board Certified Radiologists have experience in traditional imaging as well as many subspecialties.

By utilizing Vesta, these small individual and dependent hospitals can have the feel of being of a larger network spearheaded by Vesta.

radiology company

Since Vesta has many radiologists on staff, the hospital will expend on their offerings, have the access to multiple opinions, can consult with other hospitals in the network, no interruption in the service due to shortage of radiologists, vacation or unforeseen situations

Please reach out to us to learn more at 877-55-VESTA.

Medical Imaging Tech and Trends to Look Forward to in 2022

Medical Imaging is one of the most visionary and engaging fields in the healthcare industry. As technology grows and develops in this burgeoning field, now is an exciting time to be a part of it.

We’ve compiled a few of the latest and most exciting innovations that have the potential to enhance medical imaging and patient care greatly.

3D Printing Technology and the Future

mri 3d printing

3D printing technology has been around since the 1980s, and in that time, it has aided many healthcare professionals and is positioned to be an essential factor in the future of medicine. From the very beginning, the medical field has been able to implement it in so many areas, including customizable implants and medical devices, designing anatomical models, aiding in medical and dental procedures, and 3D bioprinting.

3D scans and models can help guide surgeons through diagnostics and complex procedures.

A great example is the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where cardiologists use 3D printing to better view a patient’s heart before an operation. 3D modeling assisted doctors with selecting the correct sized valve and seeing where to best position it.

MRI Innovations

Magnetic resonance imaging uses advanced technology to produce 3D, incredibly-detailed images of patient anatomy. Almost everyone has heard of the MRI machine and its incredible potential for diagnosing health issues and standardizing treatment. Few pictures are as clear and accurate as an MRI, and it is used in almost any medical or dental field. Plus, it is safer than traditional x-rays since it does not utilize radiation.

It’s not a stretch to realize that the MRI market will continue to grow by 2022 to keep up with an aging population and help reduce the spread of disease.

Enterprise Imaging Technology

Enterprise imaging allows medical professionals to consolidate medical imaging data into a streamlined platform. This means better patient medical records, more accessible access for healthcare professionals, efficient data control, and better medical management.

The future of medical imaging technology centers around increased accessibility between all health systems and medical facilities. Doctors, physicians, nurses, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals can easily access reports and images across multiple service lines, allowing them to provide better service to their patients and consolidate work procedures.

In the future, we can expect the role of medical imaging to increase and grow as technologies like medical sensors, artificial intelligence, better computing power, and cloud-based software take a seat in the medical field. Data will continue to grow and be consolidated, and we can only expect patient services to improve, as well.

At Vesta, we are always at the forefront of new technology and imaging innovations. Our goal is to utilize technology to help you better help your patients. In addition to radiology services, we also offer an array of IT services. We integrate PACS teleradiology and RIS information systems to improve your workflow timelines.

Let us know how we can help your healthcare facility–call us at 877-55-VESTA.

Pillars in Radiology History, Past, and Present

Pillars in Radiology History, Past, and Present

Radiology is a phenomenal tool. Medical teams depend on it to guide diagnosis and treatments. As a product of the early twentieth century, it is hard to imagine how medicine functioned without it. Today, our world is a much better place thanks to the people who discovered and developed the powers of radiology.

The father of radiology is Wilhelm Roentgen. Beginning with an interest in cathode rays in October of 1895, he is credited with having detected electromagnetic radiation in a specific type of wavelength on November 8, 1895. From that point, Roentgen submitted his first publication titled “On a New Kind of Rays” on December 28, 1895. When Roentgen was asked what he thought when he made his discovery, he responded, “I didn’t think, I investigated.” Encouraged to name his discovery Roentgen Rays, he chose the letter “X” to name the rays due to their mysterious and unknown nature. The famed X-ray picture of his wife’s hand shows her bones and wedding ring, clearly indicating the rays would not penetrate bone or metal. Few discoveries have gained notoriety as quickly as Roentgen’s did. Within a year, X-rays had changed the fields of physics and medicine exponentially. It earned him the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901and opened doors for Roentgen personally and professionally, some of which he appreciated and some he did not. While he did not accept the title leading to German nobility offered to him, he did agree to accept the honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine his university extended to him.

first ever xray — First medical X-ray by Wilhelm Röntgen of his wife’s hand

In addition, he donated his Nobel Prize earnings to his university, Wuerzburg University in Germany. An indication of his impeccable character. He never took any patents on X-rays. He wanted the world to benefit from his work freely. Consequently, he died almost bankrupt during World War I, but his goal was achieved. The world has benefited greatly from his work.

After Roentgen’s discovery, other scientists soon followed with further exploration of the rays. The first scientists to extend Roentgen’s work were Sir William Henry Bragg and William Lawrence Bragg. They are a father and son who earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915 together specifically, “for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays” soon to be known as Crystallography, the basis for analytic chemistry. “The diffraction of X-rays by crystals,” written in 1922 by William Henry Bragg, describes their beginning work. Credited with the creation of Bragg’s Law, learning the atomic structures of viruses, proteins, gemstones, and more has been possible.

Many scientific fields were developed from Roentgen’s discovery of the X-ray. Major names of the time, such as Albert Einstein, who established matter and energy to be equal in 1903, were contenders in the study of unseen forces associated with Roentgen’s work as well. Considering the most evocative pioneering scientists, perhaps the most influential one was Marie Curie.

Intently studying Roentgen’s work, Marie Curie took an interest in uranium, the weaker ray, also called Becquerel rays. Studying its compounds, she eventually identified that the electrical effects of uranium rays are constant, which led to a monumental shift in the understanding of the structure of the atom, which led to the development of radioactivity. With this information, she determined radiation is a powerful tool with a wide range of potential applications, including diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Her continued work with her discovery of radium not only earned her a second Nobel Prize, but today we have vast benefits from her discoveries, including nuclear energy and radiotherapy (RT), a treatment for cancer.

We truly applaud and honor these individuals for their immense contributions. As a teleradiology service provider, we understand that delivering accurate interpretations along with stellar support is how we can continue to contribute to the overall mission of helping others, ultimately the healthcare provider and their patients.

Totally Rad: Thanking Those in Radiology

Thanking Radiology Technicians

Earlier this month, the nation observed National Radiologic Technology Week (NRTW) but we believe this celebration really should be all year round.

Radiology technicians are wonderful. They are also smart to have chosen their profession. In addition to having one of the most diverse and interesting jobs, the median annual wage for magnetic resonance imaging technologists was recently at $74,690, and the job market is expected to grow 9% by 2030.

rad tech

In simple terms, a radiology technician’s job is to produce images of inside the human body. They are known by various titles including x-ray technologist, radiographer, radiologic technologist, and rad tech. Specific titles in certain fields of radiology are sonographer, CT technologist, MRI technologist, and nuclear medicine technologist. Regardless of their title, they all take images mainly of the chest, abdomen, hands, and feet. Some technicians perform an imaging process called fluoroscopy. This process involves injecting or swallowing dye and is done in real-time as a doctor examines a patient. Radiological technologists perform various imaging services ranging from computer tomography to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and more. All of these services are categorized as diagnostic imaging or medical imaging and aid in diagnosis and treatment.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the radiology technician involved a high level of risk. As frontline workers, they knowingly submitted themselves to possible exposure to pathogens to attain the needed chest x-rays of critically ill patients. Their dedication is beyond admirable. Their skill set of conducting the necessary imaging, cross-checking information, and reporting examination results was vital in saving lives. In addition, their consent to subject themselves to possible radiation exposure and COVID-19 infection to aid a diagnosis demonstrates the impeccable character of these professionals.

Despite implementing the highest level of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety protocols, the possibility of infection, and ultimately death, was always present. Many radiology technicians did die due to their daily work. Astonishingly, many continued despite having lost loved ones and co-workers. Knowing death was always a possibility and moving forward with their job in spite of it categorizes these brave workers as being highly revered and even prized instrumental warriors in the fight against COVID-19.

radiology

The information radiographers have compiled throughout the pandemic has helped determine the most effective path to take in combating it. Not only does imaging indicate early detection of COVID-19, but it also provides information on other supplementary diagnoses and follow-up of critically ill patients.

One study compared the number of early detection chest CT scans and chest x-rays from March 2019 – March 2020 to March 2020 – March 2021. The results showed an exponentially higher number of scans for the second group. Although these results proved the scanner’s sensitivity for early diagnosis of COVID-19, they also indicated an unnecessarily high and dangerous level of radiation exposure to patients and radiographers. When submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine a safe level of radiation for patients and workers, these results aided the WHO to comprise a Rapid Advice Guide for The Use of Chest Imaging in COVID-19.

Thanks to the radiology technicians who performed these examinations and compiled this data, this guide was possible. Now, radiographers and patients can be safer.

The interesting and varied jobs they get to do along with the safeguarding they practice and the attitude they bring to their work shows that radiology technicians are totally rad!