Effective communication by radiographers : at the heart of patient safety

Abstract

Radiographers’ fundamental responsibilities are focussed on providing benefit to each and every patient while also aiming to achieving excellence in all aspects of care, safety and patient experience. Indeed, there is no doubt that every day, thousands of radiographers have an essential role in ensuring optimal, safe and efficient high quality care to millions of patients attending for various diagnostic, interventional and radiotherapy procedures worldwide. Patient safety, as defined by the WHO, refers to “the absence of preventable harm to a patient during the process of health care and reduction of risk of unnecessary harm associated with health care to an acceptable minimum. Within the context of radiography, patient safety includes all efforts focussed on “reducing the incidence of unnecessary disease, injuries, adverse events and deaths caused to patients through the delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic procedures”, including but not limited to all efforts focused on ensuring safety from potential adverse effects of radiation, magnetic fields and administered contrast media.