Xr ay results - any radiographers about?

[sincitylover]

I had an xray yesterday for a bony lump on my shoulder - nothing was said by the radiographer and I didn't give it a second thought until someone asked me whether they said what it was.

They said they would send results to my GP.

I wasn't concerned but now a bit worried as to why they didn't say anything at the time.

What is normal practice?

It varies on the experience of the radiographer, for example some will point out obvious fractures etc. But by far the majority would not make any comment and it certainly shouldn't mean that you worry at all.

Radiographers are rarely (IME) allowed to interpret and comment on the X-rays they take. They may do so if obvious!

Great thanks I thought I was correct in my original thinking!!

Technically radiographers are not allowed to comment on a patient's images. The interpretation is done by radiologists (specialist docs). At the end of the day the radiographer's role ends with the production of a good quality image, and informing the patient how to access the results. It would be unethical for a radiographer or anyone else not properly qualified to give 'news' without the ability to explain all the implications, treatments- blimey, even life expectancies.

In Casualty, most hospitals have a 'red dot' system in place where the radiographer marks either the film itself (if they haven't gone digital) or in some way alerts the A&E docs that they have spotted an abnormality, given that A&E is frequently staffed by young and inexperienced docs, but most GP referred work would be reported by a radiologist in the first instance.

So don't worry about the radiographer's 'silence', it's policy.

I had a very similar conversation with my GP today (about a different bony area, where the GP said they'd probably hear it was all fine in a week or more).

My x-rays definitely went radiographer -> radiologist -> A&E today, and will be going to trauma and orthopaedics tomorrow :( It was the radiographer who said they were sending me down to A&E.

yep, I'm a radiologist, and this is standard practise - if there had been anything glaringly wrong the radiographer would have flagged it up with a radiologist at the time, otherwise it will be sent for 'reporting' routinely and be back to your GP as they said

biscuits - glaringly wrong?! Don't you mean subtly worrying and only immediately detectable to the experienced radiographic eye?! lol

that too ampere, clearly highly developed xray vision is very important! but also glaringly wrong, y'know one of those breaks that's a fracture and that kind of thing!

biscuits, of COURSE it's not a break, it's a fracture! The doc SAID SO and even wrote a funny hash sign! I turned my x-ray vision upon it, and it was SO.

I think a fracture is much worse than a break isn't it? It's those double fractures that you have to watch out for though, almost as bad as the double pneumonia...

Or, the worst, having 'blood pressure'. Gotta watch out for that one!

Or the yellow jaundice and the sugar diabetes.

A patient did once tell me that she felt much better after the nurse gave her an anenome for her constipation though.

sorry for hijack OP!

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/3474103637_53fc588d89.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=flickr.com/photos/mrtopher/3474103637/&usg=__OXgYV3uyzsnoyYREsizs0hfAPEo=&h=333&w=500&sz=147&hl=en&start=0&zoom=0&tbnid=n_6C63Z5p9TNqM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspikey%2Banemone%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D803%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C209&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=297&ei=TL3TTPPXGc2dOtCTmcMG&oei=TL3TTPPXGc2dOtCTmcMG&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0&tx=32&ty=48&biw=1280&bih=803" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">like this?

I really hope so.