26th July 2010
Poorly-trained ultrasound practitioners will ‘lead to disaster’
The NHS will have a disaster unless it ensures that it uses experienced and properly-trained ultrasound practitioners, according to a senior consultant radiologist.
Tom Naunton Morgan, of West Middlesex University Hospital, was taking part in a debate on the Medica stand at UKRC about the huge rise in ultrasound forecast by the Department of Health.
“You can go out there and buy an ultrasound machine without a licence. The problem I can see is that is that it will be used by every Tom, Dick and Harry who have not had sufficient training and there are so many pitfalls that people do not understand”, said Dr Morgan.
“Without proper training, we will end up with such a disaster. People are picking up an ultrasound machine in A&E saying ‘oh there’s no aneurysm’, you put the patient on a CT scanner and there’s an aneurysm the size of a house”.
Jon Leonard, who heads up Medica’s Ultrasound service, said that the problem lay with rogue practitioners. The Medica consultant-led approach encompassed the radiologist and sonographer working together and used only experienced NHS staff.
Edited highlights of the debate can watched at http://www.medicagroup.co.uk/ultrasound-debate.php
In a survey, 74% of visitors to the stand agreed that visiting sonographers should be NHS trained and experienced.
More than 1,400 people stopped at the stand to vote on a number of topics as part of the company’s Join The Debate initiative which was developed to reflect professional opinion and drive up standards.
“Of course, all our debates had a radiology dimension to them but they also dealt with these core issues”.
Click here to watch the edited highlights of the six debates
For further information about this news article, contact John V. Wright, Blue Planet Communications, 07710 454214.
Notes for Editors
MEDICA
The Medica Group partners more than 80 NHS Trusts across the country and today operates the largest remote radiology reporting network in the UK.
Its consultant radiologists report on patient scans derived from X-Ray, MRI, CT, Ultrasound and other medical technologies.
Each consultant is equipped at home with a state-of-the-art PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System) workstation. Connecting directly into the secure RIS (Radiology Information System) at the hospital where the patient was scanned, consultants provide both verbal and detailed written reports on the scans they have received. These essential reports enable doctors at the hospital to determine the best course of treatment for their patients.
Medica’s Ultrasound service is a fully flexible, on-demand service provided by experienced sonographers and led by a UK-trained and UK-practising consultant radiologist.
For further information on our remote Reporting Service, please telephone
0845 0569 750 and ask for the Business Development Team, or email us: info@medicagroup.co.uk