Quality Assurance Flashcards
What is quality assurance?
A program that ensures proper and consistent operation of the imaging systems
What does QA assure? 7
- Proper equipment operation
- Detection of degradation of performance
- Minimizes machine down time
- Minimizes repeat examinations
- Sonographer and patient safety
- Cost efficiency
- Maintains standards
Who are the three main people responsible for QA?
- Physician
- Sonographer
- Service
Who is the director of the QA program?
The physician
What is the responsibility of the rad?
To assess images for overall quality
What does the sonographer do in terms of QA? 3
- Assess the image quality
- Routine testing and record keeping
- Routine maintenance, such as cleaning filters and visual inspections
Routine preventative maintenance may include what? 5
- Cleaning surfaces
- Cleaning recording devices
- Cleaning fan filters
- Assessing cable and transducer integrity
- Film/ image recording quality
What are the two types of service personnel?
- The manufacturer
- The biomedical personnel
What does the manufacture do in the QA program?
Provide routine preventative maintenance and repair equipment as needed
What does the biomedical personnel do in the quality assurance program?
Acceptance testing when a machine arrives on site to ensure patient and employee safety
What does acceptance testing involve?
Sophisticated testing done before systems are placed into operation
What is tested in acceptance testing?
Imaging performance and power output are measured and the system is checked to see that it will work with ancillary equipment in the department
What is routine testing all about?
Measuring image performance and assessing over time
When is routine testing done on a tissue equivalent phantom? And what is tested? 3
On a regular schedule a tissue phantom is used to assess things like
- Resolution
- Sensitivity
- Accuracy
A key component of a good QA program is what?
Record keeping
What is the schedule like for QA?
Always performed on a regular schedule dependent on the task
When is routine maintenance done by a sonographer?
Daily, weekly, monthly
How often does manufactures perform QA?
2-3 times per year while the machine is under warranty or a service contract
Routine testing is typically done when?
On a yearly basis
What is the AIUM 100?
An older testing device in which a plastic case contains 0.75 mm steel rods arrange din groups and filled with water, alcohol, and algaecide
What is an advantage and disadvantage of AIUM 100?
+ They are relatively inexpensive
- They have no greyscale therefore no attenuation
What is a tissue equivalent phantom?
A structure that contains one or more materials that simulate a body of tissue in its interaction with ultrasound
Phantoms consist of what? 4
- Plastic case
- Gel mixed with graphite powder
- Rod groups
- Solid and cystic lesions
What are some advantages of phantoms? 4
- Better approximation of clinical performance
- Allow for greyscale,
- Attenuation
- Speed of sound
What is an disadvantage of phantoms?
They are more expensive
The TE phantoms films are made of what?
Thin films made of saran or polyurethane
The TE phantom containers are made of what? 3
- ABS
- PVC
- Acrylic
A good phantom must have the following characteristic similar to soft tissue, what are they? 5
- Attenuation coefficient
- Speed of sound
- Backscatter coefficient/ Relative contrast
- Elasticity
- Thermal properties
Phantoms can test for what things? 6
- Dead zone measurement
- Detailed resolution
- Distance accuracy
- Image uniformity
- Depth of penetration
- Cyst imaging capabilities
What is dead zone?
The area in the near field close to the transducer
What is another name for dead zone?
Main bang
What is the size of dead zone with old mechanical probes?
It can be quite large
What is the technique for imaging dead zone pins?
Imaging the dead zone pins and observing changes over time