Effective Communication In Radiology

Communication is essential to everyday life. Communicating is something we often do subconsciously, but is not always used effectively. There are often situations where a lack of communication has led to a misunderstanding. Effective communication is crucial in a number of jobs. For example, in the medical field and more specifically radiology. According to Berlin (2010), effective communication is a key factor in diagnostic imaging. Diagnostic imaging or radiology involves constant communication between both the patients and referring physicians (Babu & Brooks 2015). In radiology, communication is a significant part of the job.

Text Box As a radiologist, it is their job to perform and review images and report their findings. When most

I observed and interviewed radiologist technician Lisa Linder at Alliance Community Hospital. When I observed her, she would set the machines up and prepare the room per the radiologist’s orders. Linder said, “It is extremely important you communicate and fully understand the radiologist’s orders because misunderstanding could lead to a patient getting an image taken they didn’t even need.” Before taking any images of a patient, Lisa would clearly state to the radiologist and other technicians what procedure was going to be done. I later asked her why she did this and she responded with, “We must be as clear as possible to avoid a misdiagnosis of the patient.” Occasionally however, the radiologist takes the image. If not, the technician sends the image to the

When it comes to assessing an error, there are steps to be followed. Coakley, Liberman, & Panicek (2003) wrote the steps in order as: assess error, consider the source of allegations, and review if there is an actual problem. If it is decided there is not an actual problem, the views of those superior in the hospital may be sought out to settle the issue. If there is a problem, there are a few more steps to follow. If there has been an issue solving the problem, an external review may be performed. If there is still a persistent concern after the external review, the medical council may be contacted. Then a “look back” might be in order. This means looking back on the situation and reviewing the radiologist’s past three to six months of patient history. The issue will then be rated on a scale of risk from one to six. One being no ill effects and six being severe long term or fetal effects (Coakley, Liberman, & Panicek