Patient information
Information for patients
On visiting a diagnostic imaging department for a diagnostic procedure, or a radiotherapy department for radiotherapy treatment, you will come across a range of staff who are there to help you and to provide you with a high quality service.
There are two sorts of radiographer:
Diagnostic radiographers employ a range of techniques to produce high quality images to diagnose an injury or disease. They are responsible for providing safe and accurate imaging examinations and often also the resultant report.
The identification and monitoring of diseases, skeletal and soft tissue abnormalities and trauma are the major focus of diagnostic radiography.
Significantly, radiographers provide this service throughout the 24-hour day, often working alone or in interprofessional care teams.
They use a range of techniques including:
- X-rays – used to look through tissue to examine bones, cavities and foreign objects. May be used with contrast agents to provide a live motion image, eg, fluoroscopy to image the digestive system, or angiography to investigate blood vessels;
- CT (computed tomography) – provides cross-sectional views (slices) of the body;
- Nuclear medicine – uses radioactive tracers which can be administered to examine how the body and organs function, for example, the kidneys or heart. Certain radioisotopes can also be administered to treat particular cancers, eg, thyroid cancer.
Techniques that do not use x-radiation are:
- Ultrasound – uses high frequency sound. This technique is increasingly used in obstetrics, including monitoring throughout pregnancy, gynaecology, abdominal, paediatrics, cardiac, vascular and musculo-skeletal;
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) – builds a 2-D or 3-D map of different tissues within the body.
Therapeutic radiographers play a vital role in the treatment of cancer. They are the only health professionals qualified to plan and deliver radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy is used either on its own or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. Therapy radiographers manage the patient pathway through the many radiotherapy processes, as outlined below, providing care and support for patients throughout their radiotherapy treatment.
Therapeutic radiographers are trained in all the many aspects of radiotherapy including:
- Simulation which uses x-ray fluoroscopy machines to target the area to be treated. CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) simulation produces scans to be used for the planning of a course of radiotherapy. A 3-D plan of the dose distribution across the area to be treated can be produced by using computer planning;
- Mould Room – radiographers in the Mould Room plan the treatment of and produce devices to help those receiving radiotherapy to the head or neck;
- External beam treatment uses ionising radiation, such as high-energy x-rays – the radiographer delivers accurate doses of radiation to the tumour;
- Brachytherapy – the use of small radioactive sources placed on or in tumours to treat with a high dose while avoiding normal tissues;
- On treatment review – radiographers regularly assess patients while they are undergoing radiotherapy, prescribing drugs to counteract side effects where necessary or referring them on to other health professionals if needed.
Therapeutic radiographers are responsible for providing safe and accurate high energy radiation treatments to individual patients predominantly with cancer. They are also responsible for patients’ physical and psychosocial well-being prior to, during and following radiotherapy. They work with patients to enable them to make informed decisions about treatment and support them through treatment.
Patient information available
Patient information leaflets may be available from the hospital you are going to for your diagnostic procedure or radiotherapy treatment, so it is worth asking what they can provide in advance.
The Royal College of Radiologists has patient information available on its website which has been produced by the College's two Patients' Liaison Groups. The RCR welcomes the use of the leaflets by imaging and radiotherapy departments, see http://www.rcr.ac.uk/content.aspx?PageID=323
An American website radiologyinfo.org gives a comprehensive library of patient information leaflets which are, on the whole, excellent. The website is reviewed and maintained by the Radiological Society of North America and the American College of Radiology. There are some differences between techniques in the UK and USA, but there are a lot of similarities and visitors are advised to use the patient information leaflets, but with some caution.
A step-by-step guide to radiotherapy is available on the A guide to radiotherapy page. This guide provides an overview of the entire process of radiotherapy in simple terms, starting with what radiotherapy actually is and how important it is in the treatment of cancer, to the processes and personnel needed to provide the service.
Visit a virtual department
The Royal College of Radiologists hosts a virtual department website. The site presents an illustrated virtual hospital designed to present clear information for patients using clinical oncology (cancer treatment) and clinical radiology (imaging) departments.
Access to health records by diagnostic staff
This NIGB guidance 'Access to Health Records by Diagnostic Staff' can be downloaded below, it provides clarity for both patients and healthcare professionals about access to health records by diagnostic clinicians and their support staff when they do not have a direct relationship with the patient and are not in a position to ask for consent to view the record themselves.