Personal Narrative: My Interview With A Radiologist

You’d never take into consideration the amount of writing a Radiologist does on a daily basis. I interviewed a local radiologist at the St. Mary’s Hospital. I want to be an x-ray technician. Though, she was a radiologist, technically it’s along the same path. I was surprisingly impressed with how little writing is in this field. The writing may not be much, but the importance of the writing needed is what makes it critical.
The most interpretive component of the service provided by a radiographer is the written radiology report. The ‘written radiology report’ constitutes the communication of the results of a radiologic study or procedure. My interviewee expressed “My job only requires a minimal amount of writing, however, I do it every day.” …show more content…
My interviewee composes her writing by analyzing medical questionnaires. The radiologist’s job while she analyzes the questionnaire is to submit written recommendations within at least three hours of receiving it. Blue and black pens are the materials required for writing in this field, as colors are not professional. Pencils are prohibited, especially for the written report. The written communication contains the interpretation, discussion, and conclusions about the study. The report should tell of relevant information about the diagnosis, condition, therapy, and/or the results of a procedure. The Radiologist’s are supposed to interpret on the background history of the patient. The writing involved in the reports and questionnaires take an important role in patient diagnosis. If the incorrect facts are written this could result in a miss diagnosis. The writing needs to be transmitted clearly, concisely, and unambiguously. The report should answer any clinical question raised by the requesting patient care provider that is related to the radiologic study; for example, if the study stated the clinical information “cough and fever,” then the report needs to specifically address whether or not the findings are consistent with …show more content…
The ‘Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ considers the radiology report to be apart of the medical record because it documents the results of a radiologic test or procedure. This medical record can be regarded as a ‘legal document’ if it’s incorrect the hospital facility that it was involved within will have deep consequences and can result in being sued. The most common cause of malpractice suits held against radiologists is “failure to diagnose.” The second most common cause of malpractice suits against radiologists is “failure to clearly communicate the results.” All radiologists need to take in the recognition of the liability risk. This field of study does not involve collaboration with others for writing. The report diagnostic test result should with stand independent of the single interpreting radiologist. The variation control reduces liability risk because it guarantees that the important issues are addressed. This is why if any report is incorrect, it can and will fall back onto the responsibility of who ever wrote it and there will be penalties. My interviewee wishes she were better in the field of writing, but her experience as a radiologist and her time consistency has made her writing