Sapphire magazine Stevenson Memorial hospital diagnostic imaging

It's a fast paced world, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.
At least that seems to be the consensus of most people who spend
their lives commuting from place to place and battling through rush hour traffic
on the way to work every morning.
But on the flip side, consider how much time you spend just waiting for something
to happen.
You wait in line at the bank, the grocery store, the theatre, and lately you hear
a lot about wait times for services at hospitals.
But at Stevenson Memorial Hospital, the Diagnostic Imaging department prides
itself on an efficient system that cuts wait time down from a matter of
months at other institutions to only a couple of weeks.
"We are run very efficiently here," explains Angela Trevivian, Manager of
Paramedical and Emergency Services. "The technologists are very experienced.
Our OBSP (Ontario Breast Screening Program) clerk is very efficient and organized.
There is no lag time for paperwork and our radiologist reads and has a report in
24 hours. We just don't get behind."
Not getting behind of course means patients who are referred to the
Diagnostic Imaging department don't have to wait for a long time for their results.
For patients who arrive for a mammogram there are two options. You can have a diagnostic mammogram or become a part of the OBSP.
The OBSP provides a service for women between the ages of 50 and 74. It does not require a referral to the hospital and it acts as a centre for statistical analysis and keeps patients informed of their yearly appointments.
"We have standards that we are held to as an OBSP site," Angela explains.
Those standards apply to all other areas of the Diagnostic Imaging department of course,
including options available with Bone Mineral Density testing.
It sounds worse than it is. In fact its a non-invasive procedure that uses sound waves to measure how much calcium and other types of minerals are present in a section of bone.
It is useful in helping people who may need some lifestyle changes to prevent such conditions as osteoporosis and is usually recommended for women over the age of 65 and men over 70.
All these pictures from the Diagnostic Imaging department probably won't mean much to an untrained eye - other than maybe recognizing a few internal body parts that you remember from your high school health class.
That's where Dr. Giovanni Bruno's expertise enters the picture, so to speak.
Dr. Bruno is Stevenson's radiologist - a specialist in interpreting medical images.
With a Degree in medicine and a Masters Degree in physics, Dr. Bruno is an expert in the technology and study of the images that at arrive in his office.
"Radiology is another name for diagnostic imaging," he explains. "We do x-rays, ultra-sound, MRIs, and other similar procedures."
With digital imaging replacing analog technology, the whole science is gradually eliminating older procedures such as film based x-ray images.
While still in use, x-rays are "already on digital. We don't use film anymore," Dr. Bruno explains.
With a high level of service, Stevenson already acts as an overflow facility for other hospitals.
And with a decreased wait time, a trip to Stevenson's Diagnostic Imaging Department means efficient service with quick turn around for results.
In keeping with current technology, the next step will be digital mammography.
The Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation's It's Crystal Clear Campaign is raising funds to bring digital mammography to the hospital by the end of this year and is currently on track with their fundraising efforts.
This technology has proven to produce sharper and more detailed images than the current method.
The Foundation hosted a Gala in support of the fundraising efforts on May 6, with an overwhelming response from guests and supporters.
The Foundation announced that as of May, they were nearing completion of the fundraising effort and achieving their goal of $1.3 million needed to bring digital mammography to Stevenson.
With wait times at hospitals getting a lot of press lately, Stevenson won't be making any headlines anytime soon - at least not with a negative spin.
In fact, referrals to the the Hospital's Diagnostic Imaging department are expected to increase over the next few years as the new technology becomes a part of the program.