RAD 246 - Radiographic Pathology

Identify that Pathology

A WebQuest for the Radiography Student

Designed by Bonnie Link

bonnie.link@aultmancollege.edu

Introduction

This Web Quest is designed to equip radiography students with skills that will help them identify pathologies in the clinical environment. In this scenario, “You are the role of the radiography detective trying to identify the mysterious pathology.” You are the radiographer assigned to the emergency room on the afternoon shift. As you return from break, a “Trauma Alert” is called overhead. You grab the portable X-ray machine and some image receptors. The ER physician states that the patient has been in a motorcycle accident and orders a pelvis and left hip imaging procedure. As you position the patient for the AP view of the pelvis, you notice that the patient’s left leg is externally rotated. As you check the image of the pelvis, you note that the patient has a fracture of the femoral neck. This confirms why the patient’s leg was externally rotated. You continue the exam by modifying the positioning to obtain a lateral view of the hip. Being able to identify pathologies on radiographic images will allow the radiographer to modify the exposure and positioning for the difficult and/or trauma patient and provide better care for the patient. 

Content Objectives (Linkage to Course Student Learning Outcomes

1. Determine the basic radiographic manifestations of pathological conditions and their relevance to radiological procedures. (SLO 1, 2, 3, 6, 7)

Learning Objectives:

1. Classify the more common diseases in terms of their attenuation of x-rays.
2. Recognize technical changes necessitated by underlying pathologies
3. Define basic pathological terms.

The Task

Special Project: This learning activity is an assignment that will include gathering specific information on a selected type of pathology (respiratory, skeletal, digestive or urinary system) based on your instructor’s approval. You will research your topic using scholarly or peer-reviewed websites. The special project includes presenting a summary of the information, which you have gathered, related to your pathology utilizing the template provided. Your special project is worth 50 points and 10% of your grade for RAD246-Radiographic Pathology.

The following are guiding questions to reflect upon while gathering your information:

1. Where does the pathology originate?
2. How does the pathology present on the radiographic image?
3. What are the modalities used to diagnose the pathology?
4. What is the treatment and prognosis of the pathology?
5. How are the exposure factors modified to demonstrate the pathology?
6. How is the positioning of the patient modified to demonstrate the pathology?
7. Why did you consider researching this particular pathology?
8. What lessons did you learn from the assignment?

The Process

1. Select a type of pathology (respiratory, skeletal, digestive or urinary system) to research which involves utilizing general diagnostic radiography.
2. Obtain the instructor’s approval for your topic by May 29.2024 via the open forum-special project. You may not proceed with the project until the instructor has approved your topic with a reply through the open forum-special project.
3. Review the grading rubric for details of how your presentation will be graded.
4. Research your topic using a minimum of 2-3 scholarly or peer-reviewed journals or websites.
5. Your textbook may be one of your resources.
6. Always be careful when conducting research on the internet. Evaluate information based on the following criteria:
   1. Authority– Does the site list an author? Are they an expert in their field?
   2. Objectivity- Is the information unbiased? Are different points of view addressed?
   3. Accuracy- Can the information be verified? Is the information in a scholarly format?
   4. Scope- Is the information relevant to your topic? 
   5. Currency– Can you verify when the information was published? Is there more updated information available elsewhere? 

Example of websites you may want to visit for your research topic:

• https://remm.hhs.gov/
• http://emedicine.medscape.com/radiology

7. Contact your instructor by email for any questions that may arise during any stage of your assignment.
8. Collect data and separate the information by category

Create a presentation using the template below that includes the following

• • disease origin of the pathology
  • manifestation of the pathology
  • cited radiographic images with description of the image
  • modalities used to diagnose the pathology
  • treatment and prognosis of the pathology
  • how radiographic exposure factors may be modified to demonstrate the disease process
  • how patient positioning may be modified to demonstrate the pathology
  • reasons for selecting the pathology
  • lessons learned from completing the research

For the best possible score your presentation should be

• Easy to read
• Creative and neatly done

Your presentation should include

• Large font
• Cited radiographic images (include what they are and where you got them)
• Bullet points using correct spelling and punctuation
• In-text citations utilizing APA style of citation even when paraphrasing the information
• Complete References List at the end of the presentation (utilizing APA style of citation)

WebQuest project is due July 29.2024-7:00am via drop box in LMS.

Presentations are scheduled f2f on Week 13 and 14.