There is constantly a high risk for vulnerable, healthy patients that can suffer from healthcare associated infections, especially in hospitals and medical departments such as radiology. Many patients are in and out of the department throughout the day. Keeping up with the patient load, as well as maintaining a clean environment for patients can become overwhelming. Ultrasound machines have many nooks, creases, and tiny spaces, as well as the transducers; therefore, ultrasound equipment can become easily infested with germs. How often is an ultrasound transducer cleaned? Transducers can easily be vectors for many different viruses and bacteria. Sonographers have many responsibilities and tasks to perform throughout the day. Having the appropriate
I want to be part of the Ultrasound program because I realized that where I’m from people don’t consider going into a major like this. I was raised to become a doctor or a nurse it was either of those or your family will be disappointed. I looked at how many doctors and nurses my community has but rarely any ultrasound technicians. I also like to travel to different parts of the world and I would love to have those skills as a ultrasound technician to help those women who are unable to afford to go to a clinic to see if their baby is in good condition. A woman should never have to choose between making a decision about losing her kid, I want to be able to help those women that are struggling daily whether their baby has a health condition or even letting the parents know their baby gender.
The increasing demand for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic technology promises an exceptional outlook for sonographers. The majority of diagnostic medical sonographers are employed by hospitals, but accessibility to low-cost portable ultrasound equipment has led to a growing number of career opportunities at clinics and diagnostic centers (Rising Demand for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers). They now have access to portable units as small as laptop computers making commuting from hospital bedsides to clinical practices easier. Since some sonographers make their own schedules through contracts with clinics, these portable units make traveling much more convenient.
All areas that are being used for healthcare activities should be cleaned with either disinfectant wipes each morning and in between patients/procedures. Equipment should be all new out of the packets and clean. For things more major such as vasectomy’s, minor surgery or family planning clinics, areas should be cleaned everywhere with a disinfectant fluid and also with wipes, gloves should always be worn as well as other PPE such as aprons and hats. All equipment should be new from the packet and only touched by the person who is using
Sterile Processing compromises a service of which the medical and surgical supplies of any medical facility’s equipment and instrumentation- sterile or non-sterile are cleaned, prepared, processed, stored, and distributed throughout the healthcare facility. There are several functions of this highly skilled team perform on a daily basis from decontamination to the sterilization of high risk medical implant devices. They are the first line of defense in infection prevention for any patient receiving medical treatment in healthcare facilities. Japp (2014) affirmed the importance of properly processing medical devices performed by Sterile Processing technicians for patient safety by stating a critical point “Not following the correct process can be detrimental to the patient as the device that we are assuming is safe for the patient may all actually cause severe illness or death” (p.
Often times we may ignore the signs our body is trying to tell us. Mainly due to fear of the unknown. Our kidneys play an important role in our body. They are used to filter out waste through urination. There are many exams that physicians use to help diagnose renal failure and there are some less commonly used because they have no effect of diagnosis of renal failure. Ultra- sounds are the number one imaging modality to help in diagnosing renal failure and angiography of the kidney is the least used imaging modality. In order to prevent our body from shutting down it is imperative we pay attention to the signs of what our body is trying to tell us.
Sonography is a non-invasive medical procedure that uses the echoes of high-frequency sound waves to construct an image of internal organs or body structures. The employment rate is is expected to grow 26 percent from 2014 to 2024. Since ultrasound is non-invasive, it is more encouraged than other methods so the career is always in demand. Diagnostic medical sonographers duties are to prepare and maintain diagnostic imaging equipment, taking a patients medical history, answering questions about the procedure, operating the equipment, review images and test results, know the difference between normal and abnormal images, analyze diagnostic information, record findings, and keep track of patient records. Hospitals, offices of physicians, medical
Instruments and equipment such as endoscope and catheter involves invasive procedure that would be exposed to body fluids and contaminants so it should greatly be a concern for infection control, thereby choosing the right method of sterilization is sensitive. Problem may arise and transmission of disease may be imminent if not properly sterilized. Disinfection of these reusable instruments poses significant problems. It cannot be autoclaved. It should be handled by mechanical cleaning, followed by high-level disinfection, rinsing and drying.
Stethoscope is one of the most commonly used medical devices on a clinical setting, the environment of which is often represented a potential vector for hospital acquired infections. Scholars highlights that the sterilization of invasive equipments and the disinfection of any kind of devices before the interventions are generally ignored (Kilic et al., 2011). Among those devices, stethoscope is the widely-used equipment with the most possibility of contamination of transmitted organism. Researchers emphasize that the increasing proliferation of infection required diligent hygiene of both hands and instruments between patients to reduce hospital acquired infections (Shaw and Cooper, 2014). Therefore, a survey is being conducted with a brief nurse-directed questionnaire to review perceived reasons for stethoscope antisepsis non-compliance and stethoscope antisepsis compliance. The purpose of this project is to improve compliance with stethoscope care before and after patient contact on the Acute Medical and Progressive Care Unit (D6/5) at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The following
Dirty equipment – having dirty equipment which is not cleaned between patients can spread infection very fast lots of bacteria can be spread on a blood pressure cuff for example.
Norovirus is a healthcare associated infection which can cause morbidity and mortality (Weber et al. 2010, pg. 25). Norovirus is spread through ingesting food or liquids that are contaminated with norovirus and also from touching or being in contact with objects and people who are contaminated with pathogens from norovirus (Weber et al. 2010, pg. 25). According to Weber et al. 2010 (pg. 26), approximately 20%-40% of hospital acquired infections are because of cross infections through the healthcare worker’s hands. A simple and effective solution to lowering the risk of spreading Reginald’s infection around the hospital is hand hygiene by healthcare workers and even visitors within the hospital
Nurses are humans and will always make slight mistakes. However, it is possible to significantly decrease the number of hospital-acquired infection cases. Prevention of hospital-acquired infections starts with nurses. Nurses should know how to use and handle all material and protective equipment properly. Nurses should follow procedures as instructed by the law and their hospitals. Nurses should educate their patients on the topic of cross-infection answering the 5Ws (What, where, when, why, who) and 1H (How). To prevent hospital-acquired infections, nurses have to ensure equipment safety, follow given procedures, and educate their patients on hospital-acquired
Two-year associate degree is commonly accepted. After two years of educational expenses, sonographers graduate to find that their services are in demand and that starting salaries are generous enough to justify the investment in a college education. Since sonography is in high demand you have job security, good benefits packages, and the opportunity for ultrasound career development and the satisfaction for helping patients as part of a dedicated team of health care professionals. Not only do ultrasound technicians receive good health benefits, but they also extend down to their family as well. This job helps to diagnose people who may be experiencing a disease or an illness. Its real time capabilities allow it to be used for guiding biopsies and other procedures and can ensure that the best images are gathered during diagnostic scans. The procedures are safe, painless, and non-invasive. The ultrasound machine is also portable. It can help diagnose a range of conditions in different parts of the body, such as the abdomen, pelvis, blood vessels, breast, kidneys, muscles, bone and joints. Ultrasounds are used to check the health of a baby during pregnancy. Because sonographers are part of a patient-facing service, they have the chance to provide a personal touch to patient care. Many ultrasound technicians find this is an intensely rewarding experience. There
Seeing a mother’s face when she sees her child for the first time is why I want to get into sonogram. Sonographers operate special imaging equipment to create or to conduct tests. In my field I use this equipment to look inside the uterus where the babies are developing. The purpose of sonographers is to check the development and health of the baby. These images help the physicians know the well-being of the baby and then if there is anything abnormal going on. Also these images can indicate whether further medical test needs to be run. Sonographers usually work full time in hospitals and clinics. In order to join this work force one will need at least an associate’s degree. Sonographers make an average of 63,630 per year; equally important
Gill, R., 2012. The physics and technology of diagnostic ultrasound: a practitioner's guide. Abbotsford, N.S.W.: High Frequency Publishing.
Ultrasound or ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique that uses high frequency sound waves. It is a high pitch frequency that cannot be heard by the human ear. In ultra sound the following happens: High frequency sound pulses (1-5megahertz) are transmitted from the ultrasound machine into your body using a probe. The sound wave will travel into your body until it hits an object such as soft tissue and bone. When the sound wave hits these objects some of the wave will be reflected back to the probe. While some waves may carry on further till they hit another object and then reflected back. The probe picks up these reflected sound waves and relays them to the machine. The distance and time from the probe,