14/03/2013

Hospital Blames Old Equipment For Backlog

Old equipment and a reduction in clerical staff are to blame for a backlog of thousands of radiology reports, Tallaght Hospital in Dublin has said.

It is understood that currently there are around 6,000 scan reports waiting to be typed up, including adult X-rays, CT, MRI and ultrasound scans.

Tallght Hospital Chief Executive Eilish Hardiman said that the hospital’s system does not have voice recognition technology, which means all reports have to be typed. The equipment is due to be replaced by the national system in January next year.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, Ms Hardiman said there is no risk to patient safety and that all urgent cases are dealt with quickly.

"All the X-rays have been seen by a consultant and if there is issues of concern they are prioritised.

"Prioritised X-rays are reported within 24 hours, so it's patients who may be returning within several weeks time or months time ... we're talking about."

(H)


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