Session Abstracts JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGY NURSING

Radiation Safety in the Interventional Lab for Nurses

Audrey Pearson, RT (R)

Technical Coordinator, Northwestern Memorial Hospital,Chicago, IL

Co-Presenter: Wilhelmena Wade, RT (R)

This poster presentation will show the steps our labhas taken to improve radiation safety for nurses andreduce their radiation badge readings. Objectives areto explain the importance of radiation safety fornurses and to show what you can do to improve radi-ation safety for nurses.

Promoting a Quality Program in Medical Imaging

Lisa Reichert, MSN-Ed, RN, CRN

Medical Imaging RN, Banner Desert Medical Center, Mesa, AZ

All health care providers want to give “quality” care topatients. But what does quality care really mean? Manyquality terms are used interchangeably; however, thewords all have slightly different meanings. A differencedoes exist between the words: total quality management,quality improvement, continuous quality improvement,process improvement, quality assurance, and quality con-trol. Medical Imaging is a unique department because ofthe varying backgrounds of those staff employed withinthe department. Each staff member brings his or herown area of expertise when it comes to patient care, andbecause of this, quality promotion within the MedicalImaging Department is also unique. Making radiologystaff aware of various quality projects and the data col-lected will help improve patient care quality within theMedical Imaging department. This poster defines themeaning of quality, explains the different terms associatedwith quality improvement, illustrates the importance ofquality, and relates the goals of a quality program forMedical Imaging.

Improving Patient Care Through Communication

Suzanne Grimes, RN, CRN

Staff RN IR & ICU, CHOMP, Monterey, CA

Co-Presenters: Christine Nuttall, BSN, RN; MarieDeCarlo, RN

This is a poster depicting the project we developed to ed-ucate the nursing staff at our hospital. We developed an8-hour CE class that covered the various departmentswithin our radiology department. A PowerPoint presen-tation was given discussing ultrasound, Nuclear Medi-cine, CT, MRI, X-ray and Interventional Radiology.We defined the various aspects of each department, dis-cussed radiation safety, contrast types and effects, andMRI safety. A panel of our interventional radiologists

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and technologists from each department participatedin a question and answer period. Many questions wereanswered and concerns for patient follow-up care weremore fully understood. The nursing staff felt it was help-ful and empowered them to be more proactive for theirpatients entering the radiology department for proce-dures. We were supported by our education departmentand plan another class this fall due to continued inter-est. Working as a team, we were able to develop thisclass to improve communication and understanding be-tween departments and staff.

Managing GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) inRadiology

Sharon Coffey, BSN, RN

Care Coordinator, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL

Co-Presenter: Karen Marshall, RN

Many patients that come to radiology have compro-mised renal functions. These patients require a wide vari-ety of our diagnostic modalities. Proactive managementof compromised renal insufficiency allows patients tobenefit from radiology procedures without further com-promising their renal function. This poster will describeeffective algorithms for GFR management of patientsin IR, MRI, and CT.

Changing from Standard PICC Lines and Ports to Power-Injectable PICC and Ports

Audrey Pearson, RT (R)

Technical Coordinator, Northwestern Memorial Hospital,Chicago, IL

Co-Presenter: Anne Conkle, RT (R)

This presentation discusses the process we have taken toswitch over from standard-infusion piccs and ports topower-injectable piccs and ports. We discuss our educa-tionprocess aswell as issues androadblockswe faceddur-ing the switchover.We show steps that need tobe taken tomake the switch from standard-infusion piccs and portsto power-injectable piccs and ports, identify specific areasof the hospital thatwill need education, discuss any issuesthat may be encountered during the switchover.

Inadvertent Hypothermia and Thermal Discomfort inAdult Patients Undergoing Interventional RadiologyProcedures with Moderate Sedation/Analgesia

Lisa Hoffer, MSN, RN, CCRN

Clinical Nurse IV, Yale New Haven Hospital Dept ofDiagnostic Imaging, New Haven, CT

Methods include taking a sample of 25 adult patients,receiving moderate sedation/analgesia during IR

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