Patient Information

It is essential to enter patient details so that images can be stored and reviewed later if needed. This not only ensures quality, but is valuable if images have been misinterpreted to correct mistakes.

Most machines have a keyboard and mouse type arrangement to enter details.

A minimum data set should include surname, first name, patient identifier, date of scan, and the identity of the person carrying out the scan.

Site / side of examination

Some machines are linked to the Picture Archiving and communications System (PACS), enabling patient data to be directly drawn from the PACS system. It should only be in extreme time limited applications that patient detail input is neglected. As you get to know your machine, various preset labels are often available to make labelling of scans faster.