Undergoing imaging examinations is a common experience for many patients at HKCH. Acquiring clear images is crucial for their diagnosis and disease monitoring. The Department of Radiology and the Department of Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine work together to provide a safe and fun imaging service, and they have recently been recognized with the HA Merit Team Award.

A welcoming environment

“To ease patients’ anxiety, we have decorated our examination rooms like amusement parks,” said Dr Elaine Kan, Chief of Service of the Department of Radiology. Once there was a child with bone cancer who had been refusing to leave the bed because of pain. When he arrived at the CT scan suite, he was mesmerized by the cartoon characters around. The team then entertained and encouraged him, and finally got to transfer him to the examination table. His parents were moved and burst into tears.

▲Patients can imagine they are astronauts in this digital radiography room that looks like the inside of a spaceship.

Innovative one-stop workflow

Another distinctive feature of the HKCH radiology service is the heavy involvement of anaesthesia team. Prior assessment and onsite sedation are provided by anaesthesiologists, which increases success rate and saves patients’ hassles from moving around different hospital departments. Dr Vivian Yuen, Chief of Service of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine said, “We will closely monitor patients’ condition during the process, and adjust the sedatives to ensure safety and quick recovery.” Department Operation Manager Mok Yi-tan supplemented, “After the scan, patients are put under perioperative nurse-led care, and can be discharged home directly from the recovery room without hospitalization, which helps reduce bed occupancy.”

Sedation is not a must

Yet, different measures are in place to avoid unnecessary sedation. For example, suitable babies up to six months are put on a “feed-and-sleep” programme. Parents are instructed to adjust the feeding and bed time before an exam, so that the babies would feel content and fall asleep naturally.

Dr Kan quoted the case of a young patient with Mucopolysaccharidosis who needed an MRI. Due to abnormality of his cervical spine, there was a high risk of nerves compression if his neck was positioned incorrectly. Therefore, it was preferred to keep him awake during the 30-minute scan so he could express any discomfort. Physiotherapists and play therapists were brought on board to help. After repeated rehearsals using a simulator, the boy felt confident and stayed calm without any sedation.

Reduce harmful radiation

Radiation exposure may have a bigger impact on children, especially for those requiring repeated scans. Mike Lai, Department Manager of the Radiology Department said the team has conducted studies to minimize radiation and contrast medium doses through optimising scanning parameters based on patients’ body weight, without compromising image quality.

▲Staff of the Department of Radiology and the Department of Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine.