A Day in the life of a Diagnostic Radiographer

Diagnostic Radiographers play a vital role in the diagnosis of a patient’s illness or disease through X-rays, ultrasound and many other modern techniques. Under the defined high-tech clinical setups, diagnostic radiographers produce quality images that are significant in deciding upon the medical protocols for the patient’s ailment.

Diagnostic radiographers generally work within the radiology department of hospitals in close connection with wide range of healthcare professionals. They are mostly concerned with health surveillance, screening and research. They may or may not get involved in providing therapy treatments but they do sometimes get involved in  non-invasive and interventional procedures such as removal of kidney stones. Depending on their roles and expertise, diagnostic radiographers get aligned with various departments of the hospital like operation theatre, trauma centre, emergency and wards. Diagnostic radiographers use a wide range of techniques to to determine the cause of an ailment such as:

 
 X-ray

• Considered as second most common medical tests after laboratory tests
• Mostly done to examine soft tissues, hard tissues (bones) and other body organs

Ultrasound

• Most commonly used in obstetrics and gynaecological tests
• Creates images by using high frequency sound

Fluoroscopy

• A form of X-ray which is done continuously (kind of an X-ray video)
• Provides real-time images to show movement

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

• Uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy
• Done to detect problems like tumors, internal bleeding, injury, diseases in blood vessels or any type of infection

Computed Tomography (CT)

• Provides series of cross-sectional images taken from different angles
• Mostly done to detect internal injuries caused by accidents and other type of trauma

Angiography

• An X-ray test done to check blood flow in an artery or vein
• Uses special dye to highlight blood vessels

Nuclear Medicine Scan

• Uses radioactive tracer to check functions of tissues and organs of the body
• Creates pictures using special camera (gamma)
• Creates pictures based on body’s chemistry rather than on physical appearance
• Mostly done to detect tumours

One of the key aspects in the profile of a diagnostic radiographer is his or her professional judgment. It is very important for a diagnostic radiographer to apply his or her professional judgment to decide how an accurate diagnostic result can be achieved. This includes deciding what examination is required, what should be the procedure and how best it can be executed. Another important skill that diagnostic radiographers must possess is strong interpersonal skills because based on which it becomes easy for them to handle number of patients with due care and concern.

Diagnostic radiographers perform a large number of activities in their routine such as:

1. Assessing patients’ clinical requirements to decide necessary radiographic procedures
2. Performing required radiographic tests/examinations on patients
3. Applying professional judgment to decide appropriate tests by understanding patients’ conditions
4. Producing high-quality radiographic images to enable the diagnosis of a disease or trauma
5. Providing accurate diagnostic results in stipulated time using their skills and expertise
6. Assisting doctors and surgeons in complex radiological investigations
7. Understanding their role in the treatment process and work accordingly
8. Ensuring mandatory protocols are followed and patient’s confidentiality is maintained
9. Ensuring safety at work to avoid health issues that may arise because of use of radiation
10. Understanding the physical and psychological requirement of patients and act accordingly
11. Providing support to the patients during their examination and post-examination stay in the department
12. Imparting training to assistant practitioners and supervising other junior staff
13. Ensuring safety of the highly specialized state-of-the-art equipment installed in the department
14. Reporting malfunction (if any) in the equipment on time to avoid further delays in examination/tests