’s
February 7, 2014 edition
The Pulse
Your regular check up on SCKMC activities Share your thoughts, story ideas, and comments by e-mail to claytonp@sckrmc.org.
Radiation Safety a Priority at SCKMC Medical radiation is used within hospitals and clinics for x-ray, CT, nuclear medicine, bone density, mammography and more. While the benefits of these machines have been proven to outweigh the risks, radiation exposure can be dangerous if the proper safety protocols are not in place. To reduce these risks for both patients and the radiology technicians, the staff at South Central Kansas Medical Center adhere to strict safety guidelines and have implemented numerous dose-management techniques for maintaining the approved radiation exposure levels. Nicole Morris, SCKMC's lead radiology technician, breaks down the safety precautions into three simple categories. "There's shielding, there's time, and there's distance. That's what we do for our ARRT (The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) standards. Reducing how many exposures we do as techs or give the patient; shielding, like lead aprons for our patients and for ourselves; and distance, the more you step back away from the equipment, the less radiation you receive," Morris said. The radiation a person is exposed to is absorbed into the body. In high doses, living tissue can be injured. “As far as safety, we are trying to reduce unneeded exams. We alert the doctors if the patient has had studies recently that will show what the doctors need to see. If a patient has been having a lot of CTs sometimes we look to see if maybe a nuc med scan is necessary, or vice-versa,” said Katrina Uecker, Registered Nuclear Medicine Technologist at SCKMC. Advances in science and technology have reduced the amounts of absorption associated with radiology exams. Because different tissues and organs have varying sensitivity to radiation exposure, the actual radiation risk from a procedure varies for different parts of the body. The term “effective dose” describes the proper amount of radiation calculated for the various exams and within the body At the medical center, advanced equipment takes the guess work out of finding the “effective dose” for a CT scan. “We have a dose saving machine. The machine compensates for an area that maybe is thicker in some patients. Everyone has a different body type so it cuts down on radiation, and limits our scans to do just what is necessary for the test,” Morris said. While technology continues to make testing safer, Morris believes that knowledge is the best way to protect their patients. “We're always aware and we're always conscious of all the risk factors. We educate every single patient,” Morris said.
Healthy Living: Go Red Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. The American Heart Association sponsors National Wear Red Day®, on the first Friday of each February, to save lives and raise awareness of this serious issue. Today we encourage you to wear red, raise your voices, know your cardiovascular risk and take action to live a longer, healthier life. For more information visit the American Heart Association at www.heart.org.
Employee of the Month Barb Standerfer, CNA for the Med/Surg department, is the Exceptional Service Award winner for the month of February! Barb was nominated by several of her coworkers for being "a joy to work with" as well as kind and caring to all of her patients. If you would like to nominate someone for next month's award visit us at www.sckmc.org.
The Pharm Forum with Homer Mah, D.Ph. Beware of shopping for medicine online. Cyber pharmacies are popping up all the time and it is difficult to determine if it is a legitimate business. Consumers need to do their homework before purchasing any medicines online. Most online pharmacies claiming to be Canadian are generally not legitimate according to the FDA. Medicines from these stores are generally made in other countries and are often stolen or counterfeit. Consumers may receive medicines without the necessary active ingredient or could contain undisclosed ingredients which could cause harm. Some illegal sites try to mimic the web address of know U.S. pharmacies (i.e. Walgreens, CVS) with subtle changes in the name. When using these sites, consumers are exposed identity theft, computer viruses, and credit card fraud. Stay away from sites which offer “special” deals. For further information, visit www.fda.gov and search "BeSafeRx: Know Your Online Pharmacy."
We’ve Got What It Takes to Get You On Your Feet Again.
Now Offering Expanded
Orthopedic Services Chris Siwek, MD Main Office: Private Practice, El Dorado KS Ark City Specialty Clinic Hours: Every Tuesday and Friday
Damion Walker, DO Main Office: Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine at Cypress, Wichita KS Ark City Specialty Clinic Hours: Every Wednesday
Orthopedic Procedures: •Trauma Fracture Surgery •Minimally Invasive Fracture Care •Shoulder & Knee Arthroscopy •Total Hip, Knee, & Shoulder Arthroplasty •Carpal Tunnel
Ortho Related Services: •Private patient rooms •64-slice CT •High Field 1.0 Open MRI •In/Outpatient Physical Therapy •Full Service Laboratory
Dr. Siwek and Dr. Walker are seeing patients at SCKMC's Outpatient Services Building Specialty Clinic located just east of the hospital; 6403 Patterson Parkway, Arkansas City, KS.
Find out more about our services at www.sckmc.org