Radiography in Zambia

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Radiography in Zambia has experienced a wealth of changes involving learning methods, curriculum, professional status and public expectations. Consequently, there has been a gradual transition of radiography from a mainly knowledge-based profession to an evidence-based discipline and the concept of clinical effectiveness has become ever more important in health care delivery in recent years. Solwezi general hospital is a 2nd level public hospital serving a local population of over 200,000 people and receives referrals from all over the rural North Western Province of Zambia. The hospital faces several challenges such as; staff shortages, inadequate medical equipment and has one of the highest mortality rates in the country. One thing that stands out clearly in the quarterly clinical and performance review meetings, is the need for evidence-based practice and achievement of clinical effectiveness in all the departments of this hospital. Therefore, this exposition specifically focuses on the radiology department at this hospital and addresses the mechanisms required to achieve clinical effectiveness. Clinical Effectiveness Graham (1996) describes clinical effectiveness as been about “the right persons, doing the right thing, the right way, in the right place, at the right time with the right result” (cited in Bury and Mead 1998, p.27). The National Health Service Executive (NHS E 1996a) further defines it, as the extent to which specific clinical interventions achieve what they are intended to perform when utilized for a particular patient or population. The above definitions indicate that the concept of clinical effectiveness involves making clinical decisions based on solid evidence of what is effective in securing maximum he... ... middle of paper ... ...y, T., Mead, J. 1998. Evidence-based Healthcare: A Practical Guide for Therapists. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, p.27 2) McKibbon, K.A. 1998. Evidence based practice. Bulletin of the Medical library Association, 83(3) pp. 396-401. 3) Muir, J.A.G. 2007. Evidence - based healthcare: How to make health policy and Management decisions. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. 4) National Health Service Executive. 1996. Promoting clinical effectiveness: A framework for action in and through the NHS. London: DOH 5) Royal college of nursing. 1996. The royal college of Nursing clinical effectiveness initiative-A strategic framework. London: RCN 6) The Evidence based radiology working group. 2001. Evidence-based radiology: A new approach to the practice of Radiology. [Online] Available at: http://www.radiology.rsna.org/content/220/3/566.full [Accessed January 5 2011].

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