Radiology is a job that many people may not know that it covers many areas of work, including diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiotherapy, and basic nuclear medicine.
From what we have seen of the work of the healthcare rights coordination unit, it should give us a much better understanding of how to maintain our healthcare rights. Some things we may already know, but a lot of the information in the previous episode should be very useful for those who are using healthcare rights for the first time or those who have been there before and made mistakes in using their rights.
Now, the admin will take everyone to see the work process of one of the most popular departments that people who come to the hospital often encounter, which is the Radiology Department. When we hear the name, we may not be able to imagine when we have used the services of this department. So, let’s get to know the Radiology Department from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uthairat Chuemrattanakul, Head of the Radiology Department, Thammasat University Hospital. Let’s find out if we have ever used the services and what does this department do?
“139,206 new patients per year and of these, 84,073 people die per year.”
The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control revealed that cancer is a major problem in Thailand. According to the latest statistics, there are 139,206 new patients per year and 84,073 deaths per year. The top 5 most common cancers in Thais are liver and bile duct cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon and rectal cancer, and cervical cancer. So how is cancer related to radiology?
What is radiology?
Radiology is a field that covers many areas of work, including diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiotherapy, and basic nuclear medicine.
“Diagnostic Radiology: A Popular Service”
This first section is the most popular section where people often use the services, whether they have had an accident, have a stomachache, a headache, or are sick in any part of their body. It is a service in the form of taking an X-ray, using a camera, examining with a scanner, examining with a high-frequency sound system, or what we often hear as ultrasound, breast cancer X-ray, measuring bone mass density. It also includes joining services with private companies to provide computerized X-ray services, examining with an electromagnetic field scanner or MRI, which are part of diagnostic radiology.
“Using radiation therapy”
In the part of radiation therapy, there will be a team of doctors or personnel who will use radiation in X-raying blood vessels or performing various procedures to treat certain diseases without surgery, such as inserting a catheter and giving medication through the catheter, using equipment on muscles using radio waves or heat waves, drilling tissue to support treatment together with doctors in other fields. However, the use of radiation can be used in some cases where the doctor has diagnosed that radiation treatment can be done.
“Radiation therapy”
Radiation therapy is the use of radiation in the form of electromagnetic waves or radiation particles to destroy cells, which can be used to treat both cancer and non-cancer diseases. Radiation therapy is divided into 2 types: the use of distant radiation therapy, such as cobalt 60 radiation machines and particle accelerators, etc. The other type is the use of near-field radiation therapy, which is treatment by placing the radiation source close to or inside the area to be treated.
“Basic nuclear medicine work”
Next is the basic nuclear medicine section, which provides services to patients, especially cancer patients. Most of the work involves examinations using radioactive substances or SPECT machines, which have a radioactive substance laboratory or radiopharmacy room that will take care of and be responsible for all nuclear medicine, whether it be examining bones, livers, or other organs that the doctor wants to evaluate.
“Radiology and Cancer”
There are many ways to treat cancer, such as surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy for cancer cells, and radiation therapy, which uses radiation directly to destroy genetic material (DNA) within cancer cells to stop their growth and eventually kill the cancer cells. It can also keep surrounding normal tissue safe from radiation, reduce side effects, and control the disease more effectively.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit
The role and duty that everyone can clearly see of the radiology department will be in the matter of mobile chest X-rays. The main task is to divide the team to help in the ward, both patients who are at risk and patients who have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
“Mobile lung X-ray”
At that time, when everyone knew that COVID-19 could enter the lungs, radiology had to organize teams and allocate enough people to meet the demand level, which was a lot of work. In addition to patients who were at risk and known to be infected, there was also the need to divide the team into field hospitals, patients in negative pressure rooms, and patients in the home isolation model.
“To ensure the safety of both staff and patients.”
In addition to organizing a mobile lung X-ray team, the work of the radiology department also includes CT scans as requested by doctors. This is because it must be reserved in case patients may experience complications during treatment due to symptoms of the disease, such as the spread of COVID-19 to the lungs or brain effects, etc. Radiology must implement measures and allocate personnel to work in order to ensure the safety of both patients receiving services and service personnel. The good news is that so far, no personnel has been infected with COVID-19 from providing services.
Conclusion
Radiology is a diverse job that covers many sectors, and most patients who receive services may not know that the treatment they receive is related to radiology. The COVID-19 situation has also made us realize that radiology is not an agency created just to treat cancer, but rather an agency that plays a very important role in this COVID-19 crisis.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uthairat Chuemrattanakul revealed that all personnel from all sectors and assistants worked to their fullest, following their assigned duties. When they were called to help with the work, they were ready to help right away, even though their work was not just about wearing PPE suits to protect against COVID-19. They also had to wear suits to protect against radiation, which was not easy. Some people had to stay in such suits for hours, and sometimes when they went home to take a shower, they would be called back to work again. Their dedication was the most admirable thing.
“All staff are very passionate about their duties and are fully dedicated to their duties. It is a great pride that we have been able to provide care to both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients throughout their lives,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uthairat Chuemrattanakul, Head of Radiology, Thammasat University Hospital.
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