Chapter 12

Question 1

Effective communication

Answer 1

-Verbal messages and body language
-Encourages reduction in anxiety and emotional stress
-Enhances the professional image of the radiographer as a person who cares about the patient’s well-being
-Increases the chance for successful completion of the x-ray examination

Question 2

Communication between the radiographer and patient is effective when:

Answer 2

-Verbal messages are understood
-Nonverbal messages(unconscious actions or body language) are understood as intended

Question 3

Two types of motion

Answer 3

-Voluntary
-Involuntary

Question 4

Voluntary motion

Answer 4

Motion expected to be controlled by the patient

Question 5

Inability to control voluntary motion attributed to?

Answer 5

-Patients age
-Breathing issues
-Anxiety
-Physical discomfort
-Fear of exam
-Fear of prognosis
-Mental instability

Question 6

Involuntary motion

Answer 6

Motion that can not be willfully controlled

Question 7

Examples of involuntary motion

Answer 7

-Chills
-Tremors
-Muscle spasms
-Pain
-Active withdrawal

Question 8

How can you compensate for involuntary motion?

Answer 8

decrease exposure time with an appropriate increase in mA to maintain sufficient mAs

Question 9

What can you as a tech do to help patients with involuntary motion?

Answer 9

immobilization

Question 10

Protective shielding

Answer 10

the potential for radiation exposure to radiosensitive body organs or tissues of a patient require the use of intelligent patient positioning and/or personal shielding to reduce or eliminate a radiation dose that would otherwise result in biologic damage

Question 11

What areas should be selectively shielded from the useful beam?

Answer 11

-Lens of the eye
-Breasts
-Reproductive organs
-Thyroid glands

Question 12

What did AAPM say on shielding?

Answer 12

Patient gonadal shielding and fetal shielding should be discontinued during diagnostics imaging procedures and should be discontinued as routine practice

Question 13

What is the first step in gonadal protection?

Answer 13

Collimation

Question 14

CARES committee:

Answer 14

Created to educate the profession regarding the AAPM gonadal shielding position statement

Question 15

Shields for the lens of the eyes

Answer 15

Contact type and are positioned directly on the patient

Question 16

Technical Exposure Factors

Answer 16

Appropriate selection is essential to ensure a diagnostic image with minimal patient dose

Question 17

Technical Exposure Factor Considerations

Answer 17

-Mass per unit volume of tissue of the area of clinical interest- Body Part
-Effective atomic numbers and electron densities of the tissues involved- High or Low #
-Type of image receptor
-Source-to-image receptor distance (SID)
-Type and quantity of filtration employed- Lead, what grid ratio
-Type of x-ray generator used- High frequency, three phase 6 pulse
-Balance of radiographic density or brightness and contrast required

Question 18

Technique Exposure Factors

Answer 18

-Use of standard technique charts
-When AEC is not used, to ensure uniform selection of technical x-ray exposure factors, each x-ray unit should have a standardized technique chart
-radiographer if responsible for consulting the technique chart before making each radiographic exposure, to ensure a diagnostic image with minimal patient dose
-A patient’s specific condition and history must also be considered when selecting technical exposure factors

Question 19

How to reduce dose to patient?

Answer 19

Use of high kVp and low mAs

Question 20

15% Rule

Answer 20

You have a good technique but desire to give the patient a LOWER dose
Increase the kVp by 15% then half the mAs

Question 21

Postprocessing of the radiographic image

Answer 21

-Correct image postprocessing is essential to produce high-quality diagnostic images
-Software artifacts
-Patient related problems
-Image receptor artifacts

Question 22

Quality Control Program

Answer 22

-Includes regular monitoring and maintenance of processing and imaging display equipment
-Promote quality assurance by decreasing the likelihood of producing suboptimal quality images, repeat exposures, unnecessary absorbed patient dose and incorrect projections

Question 23

Air Gap Technique

Answer 23

-Reduction of scattered radiation
-As an alternative procedure instead of using a radiographic grid for reducing scattered radiation during certain examinations, an air gap technique can possibly be used
-Can be used on lateral c-spine and areas of the chest
-Used by increasing OID
-Results in LESS scatter radiation reaching the detector, decreases image blur, improves image contrast
-Will cause magnification

Question 24

Repeat images

Answer 24

-Consequences of repeat images
-Additional exposure increases patient dose
-Repeats resulting from carelessness or poor judgement on the part of the radiographer must be eliminated
- An additional image, when recommended by the radiologist for the purpose of obtaining additional diagnostic information, is permissible

Question 25

Increase in repeat rates

Answer 25

-Approximately 5% and up as high as 17%
-Positioning errors
-Due to ease of repeating an image
-Repeating an exposure to improve an acceptable image is unnecessary and increases patient radiation dose

Question 26

Reasons for unacceptable images

Answer 26

-Patient mispositioning
-Incorrect centering of the radiographic beam
-Patient motion during the radiographic beam
-Incorrect collimation of the radiographic beam
-Prescence of external foreign bodies
-Postprocessing artifacts

Question 27

Benefits of a repeat analysis

Answer 27

By determining the number of repeats and the reasons for producing unacceptable radiographic images, existing problems and conditions in an imaging department will be identified