LESSON 4
FILM IDENTIFICATION AND CAPTIONING
Section I. THE X-RAY REQUEST FORM
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THE IMPORTANCE OF SCRUTINIZING THE X-RAY REQUEST SLIP
a. The Heart of the Matter. What you do in the exposure and processing room
is the heart of your job as a radiographer. Essentially, your job is to demonstrate
pathology radiographically.
b. The Importance of the X-Ray Request Slip. While demonstrating pathology
radiographically is the heart of your job, other aspects of the job demand your close
attention. The importance of the semi-clerical duties related to verifying the accuracy
and internal consistency of entries provided to you on the X-ray request slip cannot be
overly emphasized. There is no situation in which proper verification of the information
on the X-ray request slip is unimportant. What good is a well demonstrated anatomical
structure if it is irrelevant to the condition that the radiologist is trying to rule out? How,
for example, can you properly identify the film if the patent's family prefix and social
security number are not entered on the request? How can you proceed with reasonable
certainty that the X-ray requested is really needed if the requesting physician's signature
is not entered on the form? A failure to scrutinize the X-ray request slip with eagle eyes
can lead to dire consequences, as the lawsuit described below suggests. In the case
cited, the X-ray technologist failed to note that the brief clinical history (specific reasons
block) indicated that the patient was heavily sedated. The importance of scrutinizing the
X-ray request before proceeding cannot be overly emphasized.
FAILURE T0 NOTE CRUCIAL INFORMATION ON THE X-RAY REQUEST SLIP LEADS TO LAWSUIT
In the case of Albritton v. Bossier City Hospital Commission (California, 1972), a patient
was hospitalized for abdominal pain resulting from a ruptured appendix and brought to
the X-ray table on a gurney. The radiographer did not read the X ray request slip
carefully enough, thus failing to notice that the form did not include the required brief
clinical history (specific reasons for complains block).
The X-ray technologist also failed to take adequate notice of the patient's condition (the
patient was heavily sedated). The technologist proceeded to raise the X-ray table to the
vertical position without placing straps or supports on the patient. As would be
expected with heavy sedation, the patient fell and a broken an ankle resulted. The
hospital was held liable because the radiographer had committed a breach of duty. He
had failed to fulfill the requirement to securely strap in a heavily sedated patient. This
true story illustrates the importance of reading the X-ray request slip very carefully
before proceeding.
MD0961
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