Every day at hospitals and health care facilities around the world, the safety of patients, technologists and medical personnel is put in danger when an MRI environment is accidentally violated by a seemingly innocent intrusion while a procedure is in progress. Patients and technologists risk physical harm, while expensive equipment is exposed to damage by…

Recent study continues to confirm the impact of distraction on medical errors The persistent push to increase patient throughput, an increase in the complexity of clinical procedures and an overriding demand for a superior patient experience all dominate the minds of today’s MRI Technologists, Directors of Radiology and Hospital Administrators. Unfortunately, balancing these objectives against…

Recent Publication by the Joint Commission Improving Patient and Worker Safety Opportunities for Synergy, Collaboration and Innovation Health care professionals whose focus is on patient safety are very familiar with these alarming and frequently cited statistics from the Institute of Medicine: medical errors result in the death of between 44,000 and 98,000 patients every year.…

Recent Publication Advocating Investment in Patient Transfer Technologies A great analysis of the growing trend of healthcare worker and patient injuries attributable to manual movement of the patient. This study offers recommendations for process improvements as well as investments in patient transfer technologies that provide efficiency, greater patient care and reduced injuries. manuscript

Assessment of Safety Standards of Magnetic Resonance Imaging at the Korle Su Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana An outstanding report on the MRI safety / process and staff knowledge conditions of a teaching hospital in Ghana in which an MRI project incident occurred.  A wonderful baseline survey is provided as well as the corrective action…

Review of the Most Prevalent Health Technology Hazards and Recommended Remedial Activities from the ECRI  Each year, advances in health technologies provide new ways to improve patient care.  But some also create new opportunities for harm.  Thus, hospitals must regularly examine their hazard-control priorities in order to remain focused on the most pressing risks.  The list from the…

American College of Radiology Guidance Document Update on Safety in the Use of Contrast Media An outstanding reference document that provides a comprehensive overview of the administration of contrast media for diagnostic imaging procedures.  This most current update is reflective of specific concerns regarding the proper use of gadolinium based agents and their impact on…

Overview of  How Targeting Patient Satisfaction Impacts Safety New emphasis on “Patient Satisfaction” may complicate efforts to improve patient safety.Though safety will continue to be a priority, it may be further complicated by external pressures to focus on the overall patient quality care experience-as measured by public “patient satisfaction” metrics. In its simplest form, success in patient safety…

Creation of the RADPASS checklist for Increased Safety in Interventional Radiology  While there is incredible clinical value in the use of interventional radiologic procedures, the complexity and variety of these procedures demands the use of a checklist approach to increase standardization, consistency and safety. The first validated patient safety checklist for interventional radiology was developed.…

Overview of  the Typical Causes of and Remedies for MRI Artifacts Useful information presented as a CME module for the identification of MRI artifact sources and recommendations for the resolution of these image compromising items.  Great resource or review material for MR technologists offering a different perspective on an issue that appears frequently.   Know…