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The role imaging plays to help patients
On World Radiology Day, we recognise the role imaging has played in improving patient care over the past years.
Clinical assessment can be difficult, especially for patients with complex co-existing conditions. However, with imaging, patients can be diagnosed quickly and acuratley. For example, imaging can differentiate between acute appendicitis and inflammatory bowel disease involving the terminal ileum. Though both can appear similar they require different treatment with acute requiring surgery. Accurate diagnosis made by radiologists prevent unnecessary surgery for patients who can be managed without it.
Patients with joint and knee problems can have an imaging-based assessment with plain x-ray, CT (Computed Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to diagnose, help with rapid treatment, and physiotherapy as needed. Also, patients with a range of general clinical symptoms are offered a whole-body CT scan as a part of a vague symptom pathway for early cancer detection. Early detection correlates with improved outcomes.
Patients with chronic conditions or undergoing treatments for a condition like cancer have regular follow-up scans to assess their response to therapy. This assessment offers the ability to change treatments based on the results shown by imaging.
Patients in the East Midlands can choose hospitals where they can access treatments. The East Midlands Imaging network (EMRAD) allows radiologists to work collaboratively, get a second opinion from regional experts and learn from difficult and complex cases. It is also possible to have complex scans reported by experts across the region and discussed at multidisciplinary team meetings, improving patient care and outcomes. Since 2015, EMRAD has been instantly sharing images across most of our region. In addition, since 2016, we have been using this facility to access extra reporting capacity from our radiologists and reporting radiographers to target studies that are waiting longer than we would like.
In response to the global coronavirus pandemic, the East Midlands Imaging Network rapidly rolled out software and hardware that allowed reporters to work from home – providing a similar level of care, but without exposing our patients and staff to unnecessary risk.