Renewing Licenses .

Renewing licenses should happen more frequently and made sure the test is up to date. Even though these tests are annoying and inconvenient they are important to the patients. Keeping up with the new procedures and regulations are very important to the patients it makes them feel more secure in the hands of someone who has kept up with new rules. Also these tests that renew licenses help keep new safety procedures which will always insure the safety of the patient and technician. Another good positive factor that comes from renewing licenses is keeping up on new technology that comes out almost every two months. Which also ensures the safety of the technicians and most importantly the patient.  

The prices of doing an x-ray are getting ridiculous now a days. One x-ray on just possibly a leg or arm can cost $200-$500. Which is completely outrageous when someone just needs a small x-ray like that to be done. I mean seriously don't hospitals get enough money from other things like surgery or even staying long at a hospital can rack in a lot of money for hospitals. A more complex radiology procedure like a CAT Scan or MRI is possibly acceptable for $200-$500 because those take up a lot of energy and resources but a simple x-ray should not be that expensive. A more appropriate price would be maybe in the $100's range just because their are such a simple procedure and use up as much energy or resources as another radiology procedure. My own personal experiences can provide evidence for this considering in the past I've had multiple x-rays, CAT Scans, and MRI's and they have all been expensive for my parents to pay for. However, if the x-ray cost was decreased it would help decrease all totals. Anything can help now a days.

New Aprons .

New lead aprons should be made in x-ray rooms. The aprons now used are out-dated and loosing their protectiveness against radiation. Most hospital only get new aprons in once every two years because they're supposed to be so protective. However the truth is they loose the protectiveness they possess after a good useful year. Yes. they still protect you from the radiation but not as good as they did when the hospital first got them in. In my opinion new technology should be made to make them last longer and be more affective. For one I know in our developing world the technology is available. Also, they should be made to cover more secretly over whatever should be cover during the x-ray. For example, make the covering more snug and cover only what should be covered. Hopefully new technology will come out soon and hospitals can stay current on protective wear for x-rays. 

Missing Fractures .

In radiology sometimes the x-rays miss fractures on bones. This normally happens because the focus elements are out of wack or someone has set the kVp levels differently to what the intended amount is for the certain body part. Missing these fractures is a serious matter because you can miss important fractures on person that would affect them later in life or sooner then later. Also by missing fractures your aiding in the doctor misdiagnosing the patient which is not good for the patients health at all. A fracture being missed is slightly common because small fractures can be so small and barley noticeable that technicians think it might just be scatter or fog on the x-ray. Scatter or fog on the x-ray happens when the film has been mishandled or the lighting was off and can appear on the film looking like a fracture. Although this is what can happen on an x-ray it's still the technicians fault because if they think it may be scatter or fog they but their uncertain then they should re-take the x-ray to be certain. Doing more preventative steps like these will help in not missing fractures and help the doctor correctly diagnose the patient.   

CR and DR .

The old way of taking a x-ray is using a darkroom but now there's Computed Radiography and Direct Radiography. Computed Radiography is where a phosphor plate is used to capture image and not film or cassette and then a laser reader scans image to be able to view it more clearly. Direct Radiography is where the image is directly made into an electrical signal and then it's put into the computer and ready to be read. Although DR is very expensive, wired directly, and limited movement for this reason CR is more common. These two forms of taking an x-ray are becoming extremely helpful in recent years helping radiologist getting images quicker. Also these ways help reduce the amount of radiation.  

Burns .

In radiology getting burned is unfortunately common. The proper name for getting burned is by definition called erythema which means reddening of the face and skin. These burns hurt pretty bad it's equivalent to getting second or third degree burns depending on the strength of the burn. Getting burned is more uncommon then common however because now radiologist's and radiology technicians know better the amount of exposure to give each patient. Also there are guidelines to not getting burned which are called ALARA which means As Low As Reasonably Achievable. The four steps to this are all exposure has benefit, all exposures use ALARA, dose levels should remain below maximum allowed for certain procedures, and always follow ten commandments. The ten commandments are basically the principles for every radiologists. The first is understanding radiology control meaning time, distance, and shielding. Second is do not allow familiarity to result in false security. The third is do not stand in the primary x-ray beam. Fourthly always wear protective apparel when not behind barrier. The fifth one is always wear a radiation monitor. Sixth would be never hold patients (exposure). Seventh is protect patient if needed. Eighth commandment is use gonadal shield on people of child bearing age. The ninth one would be examination of the abdomen use every protection necessary. Finally the tenth commandment is always collimate. To follow all these guidelines and protections is to ensure safety to the patient and you.

Outdated CT Procolos .

Outdated CT protocols are a widespread problem in radiology right now. In a hospital you could have a brand new CT scanner, but the protocol could still be outdated and imported from a previous unit. For best possible imaging new scanners need undated protocols so they can be optimized for reduced radiation does levels that are available today. There have been many advances in the world of radiology with CT scanners but many practices are not taking full advantage of this. If a practice were to take full advantage they would see there are many dose-reduction tools available for today. The best thing is today's new advances allow for reduction in radiation exposure yet still allowing for high-quality imaging.