Continuing Education in Radiology Contributes to Patients’ Quality Care and Well Being

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How the Ministry of Health in Oman helps imaging professionals keep their knowledge and skills current.

Mrs. Asya Al-Lamki, Consultant Radiographer, Department of Imaging & Intervention, Ministry of Health, Oman.

Advances in technology impact many areas of healthcare, including diagnostic imaging. Staying current with new technology requires a commitment to continuing education for radiology. Otherwise, we might miss advancements that could contribute to a patient’s quality care and well-being.

The Ministry of Health in Oman partnered with Carestream to hold an advanced hands-on digital radiology workshop.

For this reason, the Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB), the governing body in Oman, requires all medical staff to enhance their knowledge and skills by obtaining a certain number of accredited points annually. This is usually accomplished by attending different educational programs relevant to their fields.

Although re-certification is not required for radiographers, they also need to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Ongoing education helps them  stay current with advancements in imaging procedures and in imaging equipment.

To assist our radiographers with their continuing education, we recently partnered with Carestream to hold an advanced hands-on DR (digital radiology) Workshop in Oman. The lead instructor was Carestream’s Clinical Development Manager/Product Line Manager, Martin Pesce, RT, R.

Continuing education in radiology contributes to more use of DR features

Ongoing education helps radiographers stay current with advancements in imaging procedures and in imaging equipment.

Mr. Pesce showed participants how to use the features within their DR machines more efficiently and effectively. He also explained when and how to calibrate the detectors, do quality control tests, and how to use the correct exposure indicators. The topics of pediatric radiography imaging and dose monitoring also were covered in the DR workshop.

Mr. Pammi Sreenivasa Chary, Senior Radiographer and Key Operator at Royal Hospital, Muscat, said the training made him realize that “most of the functions were not used effectively,” prior to the training. He added that he believes the workshop will help the department improve pediatric radiography imaging and dose monitoring.

“This seriously helped me to understand and update about the latest technology on our DR system,” added Mr. Khalid Mohammed Al Mahrooqi, Clinical Tutor, Oman College of Health Sciences, Muscat, Oman. “It helped familiarize me with optimization tools that are available and how they can shape our daily practice.”

Training contributes to well being of radiographers

The training also contributed to the well being of our radiographers who work with ionizing radiation that can be harmful to them as well as the patients if not used properly. Mr. Pesce gave a thorough review of the factors that are important in radiation protection. These included collimation and the use of correct exposure indicators to help ensure the safety of the operators and patients, as well as produce good image quality.

Of course, patient well being is our priority. However, another advantage of continuing education in radiology is that we are making better use of the equipment we have invested in. Carestream’s workshop will help us to use the equipment to its fullest.

Hands on workshops like this help our imaging professionals keep their knowledge and skills up to date, enhancing the general diagnostic quality and supporting the Ministry’s goal of improving patient care.

Mrs. Asya Al-Lamki has been working in medical imaging for nearly 17 years; four years in the United Kingdom and the remaining years in Oman’s Ministry of Health. Mrs Al-Lamki worked as General Supervisor Radiographer in Khoula hospital, and was Senior Lecturer in Radiography at the Institute of Health Science (College of Health Sciences). She is currently working in the Directorate General of Specialized Medical Care as a Consultant Radiographer in the Department of Diagnostic and Intervention.