Mount Auburn Hospital’s Post

I worked the late night shift at this gas station while attending radiologic technology school in 2004. It was here my relationship-building with customers began. I met the kind, sweet, impatient, impolite, chatty, and all the above customers. One such relationship was unique. An elderly lady would call the store and casually start conversations with me. I thought it to be strange and annoying as I began to realize she was calling me every night. I didn't just work the register; I had to do the cleaning checklist before the next shift started. The casual conversations were not helping me get it done. Soon, I realized she needed to fill a void of loneliness, so I, without her realization, figured out a time window so we could chat and still get my work duties done. There were moments throughout the night hours when I did not have a steady flow of customers, so it balanced out. That lasted a few months until I met her face to face. Before me walked a little old lady with a walker. I found out she lived a few blocks away in the mobile community. We continued our friendly few nights a week conversations over the phone for the next few months. I never saw her again, but many of our conversations were meaningful. I translate my early years in relationship building to the patient's journey in mammography. The mammographer has an estimated time of around 20 minutes with their patient. Although this is a fraction of the patient's total experience, it is one that I consider valuable by combining compassion while being efficient. People remember how you make them feel, and if left with a great impression, they will likely return for the care they deserve.

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You never fail – you either succeed or you learn, says Shady Botros, project director at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. He shares the example of Aaron James, who underwent the first-ever whole-eye transplant in a human, this year. James had said: “Even if I can’t see... at least you can learn something to help the next person.” How can you learn from failures? Share your thoughts in the comments or write a post from your profile using this link. https://lnkd.in/eukUKaTf  #IOTD #success #failure

Earlier this summer, Dartmouth Health's in-house video team took on a project: capturing a unique patient-provider experience to promote Dartmouth Health's heart and vascular program. (see video https://lnkd.in/eEV8ng5e). Our approach was a bit different: We chose to combine Super 8mm film with Canon’s C200 and C70 cameras and DZO lenses. There's a distinct charm to film, with its generous light exposure latitude, and a throwback to a time when instant playback wasn’t an option. Trusting instincts, equipment, and lighting became paramount. The anticipation of waiting for the 6k dailies was nerve-wracking given the expense of film stock and processing, but the results? Simply a joy. We integrated as much film footage as possible, occasionally emulating the Super 8 look digitally, but nothing compares to the genuine artifact. This project had several facets: it was an assignment, a venture into a bygone medium, and a learning experience. The challenges we faced, the decisions we made, and the story we brought forward gave us a lot to reflect upon. Our team's familiarity with the subject and the creative process underscored the importance of telling stories genuinely. To other organizations: Every story has its merits. It's worth exploring how best to tell them.

Legendary Radiologist 

When I first started scanning as an MFM sonographer, I did not have a clear understanding of WHY I was assessing the fetal heart. I only knew what images to obtain and even that was dodgy. Cine clips were definitely not on my fetal heart agenda. No one told me how important they are, or why they are necessary to demonstrate normal and abnormal structures. Something we have to get retrain ourselves is to just “take the picture” and move on. That’s not enough. We must be diligent when assessing the fetal heart and really take the time to watch the atrioventricular and semilunar valves. To make sure we visualize the pulmonary artery exiting the right ventricle as it crosses the aorta anteriorly, to help rule out transposition of the great arteries. Sonographers play a vital role in direct patient care, so they deserve more than being told to just “take the pictures”. We need to know the “why”, so we can provide the best diagnostic images we can. We also need to be up to date with the best practices. Cine clips are very important and I always advise sonographers to utilize this practice. Even if your system won’t allow you to capture many cine clips due to storage, get in the habit of sweeping through the heart and sitting still and just watching the heart squeeze and the valves move…these habits will help you fully assess the fetal heart to the best of your ability. 🫀 #sonographereducation #cineclips #educationsaveslives (Cine clip demonstrating the normal orientation of the great arteries)

In this episode of Quality Time with Dr. Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM, Dr. Alan Lumsden, medical director of the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, describes the charge to manage quality across specialties in a large hospital: http://spr.ly/6042kVGou

Before I share this week's educational poster, I'd like to extend a warm Merry Christmas to everyone in my community, as well as to all healthcare providers, as the festive season is just around the corner. Radiological signs serve as helpful mnemonic devices for clinicians and radiologists, aiding them in recognizing and remembering the connection between specific radiological appearances and medical conditions. These signs frequently resemble familiar objects, and as demonstrated in this educational poster, they can even incorporate elements associated with Christmas. Staying true to the festive theme, I've prepared a special Radiology Christmas tree for this week's poster. It's decorated with various Christmas-themed radiological signs aimed to enhance our knowledge. Each sign is labeled with its name and the associated pathology. To further enhance understanding of what is discussed, I've included an image of each sign, and for clarity, red arrows annotate the key findings. Reflecting the seasonal association with snow, many of these radiological signs are linked to snowy motifs, as well as other festive elements such as it is the case of Christmas trees and holly leaves. #radiology #poster #christmas #merrychristmas #festiveseason #signs #imaging #radiography #ultrasound #mri ##medicaleducation #healthcare #pattern #health #medicine #diagnosticimaging #diagnosis #christmastree

Captiva Spine shares the publication of a prospective randomized comparative Clinical Study of Accuracy and Safety data in line with the WatchTower Spine Navigation System https://lnkd.in/di3E9c8N