Medical Imaging Technology

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Browsing Medical Imaging Technology by Author "Laith Abd AL-Fatah Shehdah Jaradat"

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    Towards standardization and development of medical imaging protocols and referral requests in the Palestinian health system
    (Al-Quds University, 2024-03-18) Laith Abd AL-Fatah Shehdah Jaradat; ليث عبد الفتاح شحدة جردات
    Introduction : Medical imaging plays a pivotal role in healthcare, especially in the field of diagnostic radiology where imaging procedures are used to diagnose monitor, and follow-up diseases. In this process, medical imaging technologists (MIT) play a crucial role in assessing and evaluating patients' conditions, Diagnostic or interventional medical imaging procedures involve interconnected elements, wherein the clinical-anamnestic evaluation and justification for the examination provide essential information for therapy, Assigning protocols for authorized advanced medical imaging (CT, MRI, NM) is a vital but often overlooked task in medical imaging departments workflows, Acquiring additional clinical details, including allergy, laboratory, and medication information, is often complex, requiring multiple interactions across systems, In the Palestinian health system (Public, private, NGOs) hospitals and health centers, various medical imaging protocols are employed. The aim of the study: is to examine and evaluate protocols for advanced medical imaging services within the Palestinian health system due to the lack of a consistent standard across the country, Propose an initial standard criteria for advanced medical imaging procedures Method : In order to address the study's objectives, which highlight the absence of standardization in medical imaging protocols and referral requests within the Palestinian health system, the researcher developed a questionnaire comprising 35 items, The questionnaire items were categorized into three domains: Protocols of medical imaging services, Position of medical imaging technologist, and Referral Requests Protocols, A Quantitative Descriptive and Analytic Methodology used in this research, Following the collection of distributed questionnaires, the researcher processed the data for analysis, Respondents' answers to questionnaire items were recoded into numeric values, with a value of 1 assigned to "Yes," 2 to "No," and 3 to "Don’t know.“ and the target population of this study includes all radiologists and MITs working in the Palestinian health system, The study sample was randomly selected and consisted of 235 radiologists and MITs working in the Palestinian health system, most of whom were male (72.3%), while the percentage of females was (27.7%), Most participants in the study sample were medical imaging technicians (80.9%), only 6.4% were consultant radiologists and 12.8% were radiology residents. Result : The results revealed a deficiency in diagnostic and therapeutic standardized protocols for all procedures by 75.7%, Uniform implementation of protocols was not ensured, and deviations were not monitored, at a rate of 70.6%, No clear job description defining the roles and responsibilities of staff in managing image acquisition, and image quality accounting for 71.9%, The Medical Imaging Department lacks a Radiation Protection and Safety Officer (RSO) by 72.8%, Explanation and guidance on the imaging procedure were not provided to the service recipient before the procedure (65.1%), Patient safety lacks priority (65.5%), The quality of images is not verified by trained radiology and imaging staff,(65.5%), Safety checks before entering medical imaging procedures not consistently conducted (62.6%), Continuous monitoring of unconscious, or sedated service recipients during the procedure is not ensured (62.6%) and the referral request by the referring physician doesn’t include the relevant clinical information and history (68.5%), there is no a documented procedure for urgent and unexpected emergency patients (68.9%), billing information is not documented, or displayed, prior to the examination (68.1%), the referral request doesn’t include explanation for female safety (66.8%), Medical and treatment information was not linked to previous relevant clinical, laboratory, and radiological details in the referral report (65.1%). Conclusion: The findings of the current study indicate a significantly higher percentage of negative attitudes (No answers) towards referral request protocols in the Public Health sector (Medical Centers or Hospitals) compared to both NGOs, and Private sectors Recommendations : Standardizing medical imaging protocols within the Palestinian health system is recommended, along with ensuring consistent implementation of these protocols and monitoring for any deviations, It is suggested that referral requests include standardized criteria for patient information.