Case Study Analysis of Choledocholithiasis

Running head: CASE STUDY
Case Study Analysis
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

CASE STUDY
Brief Overview
The patient had a health issue of Choledocholithiasis; a condition in which gallstones
are present in the common bile duct. These gallstones usually remain in the gallbladder or
pass unobstructed via the common bile duct. The patient experiences abdominal pain and
complaints of loss of appetite. The gallstones may be of cholesterol type, which is evident
with a previous medical history of increased cholesterol, decreased bile salts and increased
bilirubin. The possible previous medical history of the service user is thought to be hereditary
blood disorders, biliary tract infections or cirrhosis of the liver.
Healthcare Professionals in Imaging Department
Every health care department have several professionals from varied fields, which is
crucial for ensuring the proper delivery of all aspects of health care to the patients. In a
typical diagnostic imaging department, there are radiologists, radiographers, sonographers,
physicists, staff nurses, health care assistants, assistant practitioners, and other support staffs.
One of the most common communication strategies amongst healthcare professionals
is with the use of the SBAR tool (Situation Background Assessment Recommendation). This
tool offers the professionals a clinical assessment of the patient in the imaging department to
transfer clinical data effectively.
Out of the aforementioned different health care professionals, the radiographers, staff
nurses have direct contact with the service user. They offer a range of services for the user
and are engaged in direct communication with the user to get MRIs and analyse the results
from the scan. The primary role of the radiographer for this specific user is to perform a
particular type of Magnetic Resonance Imaging known as Magnetic Resonance
Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), which helps to get detailed images bile ducts and
gallbladder.

CASE STUDY
In the acute care settings, especially for the mentioned service user, the
gastroenterologists, the health care assistant, and practitioners, provide services to the patient,
which includes comprehensive consultant services.
In addition to these professionals, the staff nurses play a crucial role post medical
intervention given to the service user, which includes planning, implementation and
evaluation of care plan strategies, which is aimed at improving the overall health of the
services user.
Managing Challenges
There are several different factors that influence patient satisfaction, several of which
are affected by the service provided by the professionals. In the imaging department, one of
the most crucial influencers of patient satisfaction is the wait time. An increase in the wait
time leads to a significant decrease in patient satisfaction, and the radiographers and
radiologists need to ensure they reduce their wait times for the patient as low as possible.
Another factor that affects health outcome and is a concern in the imaging department is the
use of ionising radiation. MRCP used for service user’s pathway is non-invasive and does not
makes use of ionising radiation, does protecting the service user.
There are several potential themes for conflicts between the healthcare professionals
in the imaging department and the service user’s pathway. Role conflicts arise due to
incompatibility, and unmet expectations often resulted due to lack of professional
commitments from the professionals.
Increased efficacy of communication skills is one of the most effective ways to
address role conflicts amongst health care professionals in a clinical setting. Increasing
interdisciplinary compatibility is another compelling way to address the role conflicts and
decrease the incidence of ambiguity.

CASE STUDY
Role of Radiographers
Radiographers play a crucial role in supporting the diagnosis of a service user by
employing sophisticated equipment for Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography to
produce high-quality images using radio-waves & magnetic field. They are specially trained
health care professionals who work with other professionals to deliver a complete service
pathway to a user.
One of the positive outcome out of this profession for the user would be early
detection of a health condition and its early diagnosis, which critically improves the chances
of a speedy recovery. The use of MRI has been evident in providing detailed images to
differentiate between healthy tissue and diseased tissue, better than ultrasound, CT and X-ray.
For the particular service user, the diagnostic image reports stating gallstones in the
common bile duct can be detrimental, which decreases the self-confidence of the user
significantly. Stating the results of the diagnosis to the service user can be deemed to be the
negative highlight in the episode of care.
The courteousness of the radiographer will influence the outcome from this episode,
and it is essential that they sound professional with compassion while interacting with the
service user for a positive outcome. Moreover, for the specified service user’s pathway, the
radiographer has to ensure that the service user is devoid of any metal attached to the body
during the scans.