Over 4,000 unreported x-rays at Tullamore hospital

A NATIONAL Radiology Survey has revealed that over 4,000 x-rays went unreported at the Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore between 2009 and 2010. 2,905 index fracture and orthopaedic studies x-rays were unreported in 2009 and 1,129 in 2010.
Dr Maurice Hayes was commissioned by the HSE to investigate the accumulation of unreported x-rays in Tallaght Hospital and concerned with establishing if this was an issue in other HSE funded hospitals, a National Radiology Survey was undertaken. Work on the survey, to identify any radiology backlogs and to report on their resolution, was carried out between March 10 and November 4 last.

Out of a total annual workload of more than 2.5 million examinations each year across all hospitals, the total number of investigations returned as unreported by a radiologist was 33,914. This represented less than 0.5% of all activity over the period (2008 – present).

Remedial actions were taken in all hospitals that reported non-compliance and there were no instances of adverse event (patient harm) reported to the HSE as a consequence of backlogs. This is in keeping with the initial assessment that the practices in place, while informal, were in practice appropriately identifying certain investigations as low risk and appropriate for reviewing by clinicians other than radiologists.

In one site an adverse event was reported relating to an instance of delayed cancer diagnosis due to an unreported x-ray. This had been noted prior to the national survey. This case has been investigated and fully communicated to the patient.

In a statement, the HSE said it is implementing the recommendations of Dr Maurice Hayes' report, adding, "These measures will drive improvements in the quality of service and will help to prevent the recurrence of further backlogs of unreported radiology.

"The lessons learned from the Hayes report and the national audit will contribute to improvements across the hospital system. The roll out of the National Integrated Medical Information System (NIMIS) will further strengthening radiology services, quality and processes within our health system."

GE introduces wide-band wireless to avoid x-ray traffic jam - Diagnostic Imaging

Wireless x-ray detectors have come into vogue and are now available from a half dozen vendors. They are being offered singly, as a digital upgrade for analog x-ray systems, for example, or as the core of portable and advanced fixed radiography systems. GE Healthcare is among those offering a portfolio of such choices. But GE is putting a twist on its wireless detector, dubbed the FlashPad, one that company execs say will prevent what could be a ticklish problem in the future. This potential problem stems from the success of digital radiography.

In GE’s booth at RSNA 2010, GE executives Gerald P. Schulte and Catherine J. Tabaka likened the surge in wireless communications traffic at hospitals to congested highways surrounding big cities at rush hour. With the huge files they capture and transmit, wireless x-ray detectors are the equivalent of trucks that can reduce already slowing traffic to a crawl. GE’s solution, built into its FlashPad detector, is ultrawideband technology.

“This makes sure that a point-to-point communication allows easy, fast, secure, and reliable transfer of images,” said Tabaka, GE’s chief marketing officer for x-ray healthcare systems.

Ultrawideband technology uses a direct link between a wireless detector and receiver in much the same way a mouse talks directly to a PC. Keeping the communications connection simple and direct ensures the bandwidth necessary to transmit large files, such as x-ray images, she said, and to handle the large volumes of images at modern hospitals.

Schulte, GE’s global x-ray marketing manager, noted that nearly a decade has passed since GE introduced its first-generation digital x-ray products. Many of these, he said, are still in clinical operation as the company moves now to this fifth-generation detector. GE is positioning the wireless FlashPad as a component within a new breed of portable x-ray systems and advanced fixed x-ray rooms, and also as part of a kit for upgrading analog systems to digital.

The detector itself features a design that provides up to 8% more coverage for key applications yet minimizes radiation dose to the patient. It delivers radiographs onboard the company’s high-end Discovery XR656 fixed-room system and as the DR imaging option for GE’s Proteus XR/a and Precision 500D, as well as serving as the digital heart of the portable Optima XR220 amx and Optima XR200 amx, which is pending FDA review.

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