SCoR has been made aware of an increasing number of requests by patients (and those accompanying them) to take photographs of the diagnostic image on screen using mobile phone and other devices. This has been an issue in obstetric ultrasound and SCoR published guidance in April 2010 see also The recording of images during diagnostic or screening obstetric ultrasound examinations available on the website at http://doc-lib.sor.org.
This medicines practice guidance provides good practice information. This should underpin the decision-making and actions of radiographers who are annotated with the Health Professions Council (HPC) as supplementary prescribers.
The Society and College of Radiographers receives many enquiries from sonographers about work related musculo-skeletal disorders (WRMSD). The following is a compilation of some of the answers that Nigel Thomson (Professional Officer for Ultrasound) and Lyn Wigley (Policy Officer: Health and Safety) have given.
This policy applies to the imaging and radiotherapy workforce and includes students. It applies equally to both male and female patients and staff and encompasses all forms of diagnostic imaging, radiotherapy planning and treatment. It is designed to be used in conjunction with local Trust, Health Board, Independent Provider or other employing authority policies on intimate examinations and the use of chaperones. These policies should deal equally with the intimate examination of women by men and men by women as well as intimate examinations where the practitioner and patient are the same sex: they should not contain arbitrary exclusions on the basis of sex alone. There should also be an accompanying chaperone policy that applies equally to both male and female members of the imaging and radiotherapy workforce.
A Guide for pregnant women, breast feeding women
The Society of Radiographers has updated this advice and guidance document on the subject of health, safety and pregnancy in response to questions and concerns raised by our members, representatives and managers. This guidance also gives advice on current health and safety legislation relating to pregnancy. Finally there is a section on legal rights of pregnant employees including benefits and extracts from the Agenda for Change staff terms and conditions handbook
The 2011, Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) passed a motion which "ensured members are aware of the issues surrounding domestic violence abuse, and to encourage SoR representatives to seek and review trust/board absenteeism policies and develop separate policies on domestic abuse". The SoR understands that the workplace can be a place of safety for the victims of domestic violence, it is also a place that colleagues, friends notice what is going on, a place where the victim may confide in their colleagues about their experiences. But more importantly it can be a place, where victims can access support they so desperately need. This document will address this motion and provide much needed guidance and support for members, SoR representatives and employers.
This document updates and replaces previous advice from the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) dating from 1995 relating to the sale of images and determining the fetal gender. Advice is also included relating to the commercial aspects of the determination of fetal gender or other scan extensions (e.g. 3D/4D) that may be suggested from time to time by NHS Trusts or Health Boards. This document refers to NHS commissioned ultrasound examinations performed for screening or diagnostic purposes as part of the Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP, England), or other scans performed for screening, diagnostic or monitoring purposes that are funded as part of overall NHS maternity provision. This document does not extend to ultrasound examinations performed where a 'social' or 'souvenir' scan has been requested by a woman and is outside normal NHS provision.
The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) and the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) issue jointly this additional guidance in response to specific questions regarding the use of anatomical markers in imaging for suspected non-accidental injury examinations of living children and the correct course of action to be taken if the marker is absent from the image.
The SCoR supports the role of the independent practitioner and recognises the need for policies to enable them to provide high professional standards of care. This document provides guidelines for professional practice for members who are working as independent practitioners; it does not directly apply to employees of independent providers.