7 Tips for Selecting an Imaging Center for Your Child’s Summer Injuries

Posted by HCWR on Jul 27, 2010 | Comments Off

For many kids, summer means warmer temperatures, longer days and more physical activity. An upswing in activity can also lead to an increase in injuries among children. Should your child experience an injury and require imaging, this summer or anytime, David Bloom, M.D, pediatric radiologist at Beaumont Children’s Hospital, offers the following tips to evaluate imaging facilities:

Look for a center with children’s imaging specialists- dedicated pediatric radiologists, physicists and technologists.
Find a center with radiologists who are available on-site, 24/7/365, to provide consultation on films they read. Some centers use freelance radiologists who are not always on-site. In fact, some are not even in the same country.
Ask if the radiologists are board-certified and fellowship trained. Neither is required to practice in Michigan, but both ensure a higher standard of knowledge. Beaumont requires radiologists be board-certified.
Ask if the imaging equipment is new and state-of-the-art. Large health centers, especially those that are major academic and referral centers, tend to have leading edge equipment such as digital radiology, Flash CT and open MRI. The newer the equipment, the better and clearer the images. Also, newer generation equipment generally has fine tuned the radiation dosage, meaning less exposure.
Find out if they have CinemaVision goggles for MRI procedures. They help reduce anxiety and fear. The goggles and earphones offer a pleasant and entertaining distraction. Patients can watch movies, video and television during the procedure. All Beaumont Hospitals- Grosse Pointe, Royal Oak and Troy- offer CinemaVision goggles, as well as Beaumont Medical Centers in Lake Orion, Macomb and West Bloomfield.
Ask how easy it is to access the results of the imaging. If you have your child’s imaging done at a hospital, where they are treated, those images will be available to your doctors anytime. This is especially important in an emergency situation. If not, you’ll have to bring the images with you or arrange to have them sent.
Find out if they are a participant in the American College of Radiology’s “Image Gently” program. This education campaign for health care providers and parents promotes radiation dose reduction and safety.

All three Beaumont hospitals offer Flash CT, the latest imaging technology. Images can be obtained in a second or less when necessary. Dr. Bloom says this is an especially effective tool for imaging children who have difficulty holding still.

“Here at Beaumont Children’s Hospital, the pediatric radiology division encourages patients, parents and physicians to ask questions regarding the utility and safety of specific radiologic exams,” explains Dr. Bloom. “The only bad question is the one never asked. Our staff are trained to help.”