Question 1 : Purchase of ultrasound machine and credentialing

Question 1 

You have been asked to assist in the purchase of a new ultrasound machine for your
department.

a) Describe five (5) steps you would take to gather information for this purchase. (5 marks)

1. Decide on your needs: Size of machine, complexity (Doppler/2D), image quality, ability to store images, ease of use (quick boot, long battery time, easy keyboards to operate), ease of cleaning, number of probes required
2. Decide on your budget.
3. Pick the best machines for your budget. Gather information on support by company, warranty, what happens if the machine does not work- how long would you be without it, could they replace parts or the machine straight away
4. Head-to-head comparison. Get the companies to bring out the machines to view and trial them
5. Find out whether there is a system of archiving studies either on a PACS system or separate cloud based system.

b) List four (4) stakeholders you need to consider. (4 marks)

1. ED trainees and emergency specialists
2. Hospital administration
3. Other departments who may have ultrasound machines and will be using the machine in your department – It may make sense to get the same company
4. Biomedics – how easy are the machines to fix if anything goes wrong

c) Describe four (4) steps in setting up a credentialing programme for the use of the ultrasound
in your department. (4 marks)

1. Need to have accredited supervisors within the department to credential registrar or other staff
2. Set up a teaching program: lectures or online resources
3. Have a system where trainees are supervised when they are scanning to enable feedback and for formative and summative assessments
4. Ensure a logbook is maintained by registrars

 

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