Caroline Hanford, supervisor of the imaging department at Cook County North Shore Hospital, is also a successful grant writer. Because of her grant application to Safety FiRsT, the hospital will soon be receiving equipment that will make imaging safer for patients and technicians.
Patient safety and the concern for her staff were on the mind of Caroline Hanford, when she applied for a Safety™ FiRsT grant to purchase an X-ray imaging chair and an EZ Matt for Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center (CCNSHCC), which will receive the equipment in the next few weeks.
North Shore Hospital and Care Center and Memorial Hospital of Converse County in Douglas, Wyoming were the 2015 recipients of Safety FiRsT grants.
Hanford, who is the supervisor of the imaging department, was featured on the cover of Scanner, an industry publication that is published six times a year, for writing and applying for the grant.
“These pieces of equipment will be good for both patient and our staff,” Hanford said. “The chair will help provide a quality image for patients who worry about falling, and for patients who are older or who are very large people that are difficult for our staff to move and position for scans.”
Patients with shoulder injuries will especially benefit from use of the chair, said Hanford, because it will now be easier to get a good X-ray of the damaged area.
Less staff will also be needed, and because the chair will in many instances replace the bed, far less lifting will be required by staff, making it easier for both patient and hospital worker.
Additionally, if an X-ray is done without a problem occurring the first time, it will alleviate re-takes and additional exposure to radiation, she said.
As for the EZ Matt, it is inflatable and will help hospital staff to quickly and safely transfer patients from carts or beds to the X-ray table or CT gantry. It will probably be placed in the emergency room where incoming patients can be placed on it and then moved quickly into the imaging room, Hanford said, adding it will be available to other departments who may need to borrow it.
Ultimately, said Hanford, both pieces of equipment should reduce discomfort for patients and decrease injuries to staff and technologists who will have to assist in far fewer lifts.
Safety FiRsT was launched by a grant from Toshiba America Medical Systems. It seeks to reduce the radiation dose and improve overall safety for workers and patients.
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