Patient Assessment and Prep
- As a CT Technologist, one of the most important jobs that you have is to ensure that a complete patient history is obtained prior to the exam.
- A complete patient history works to:
- Assist the interpreting physician with diagnosis.
- Documents the patient’s symptoms, areas of pain, or discomfort.
- Identifies recent procedures and surgeries, and possible trauma.
- To ensure that a complete patient history is obtained, a CT Technologist should:
- Allow the patient to provide history in their own words.
- Avoid questions that may lead the patient to answer in a specific way.
- Practice active listening to ensure that everything the patient states is captured.
- Repeat the captured information back to the patient.
- As with any interaction, good communication between the patient and technologist is essential for a good outcome. From the point of scheduling, through the exam itself, the CT Technologist must ensure that the patient is properly prepped and prepared for the exam. Communication must take place prior to, during, and after the exam. Constant communication helps to ensure the patient is more compliant, which results in higher quality exams.