Positive experience of a mobile radiography service in nursing homes

For elderly people living in nursing homes, a transport to hospital for a radiological examination can lead to increased anxiety, disorientation and other problems related to the new environment.

To investigate the usefulness of a mobile radiography service for radiological assessment of patients in nursing homes from the patient and staff perspectives.

Lightweight equipment with a digital flat-panel detector was used for mobile radiography on nursing home patients in their own rooms. Data on patient and staff experiences from the service were collected using a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Image quality was evaluated by the radiographer and a radiologist.

The majority of 241 radiography examinations were of the musculoskeletal system (94%). Twelve of 123 patients had pathology that required hospital treatment, while 22 patients with radiographic pathology could be treated locally. The main beneficial factors were security and comfort, acceptance from the patients, no need for transportation, no need for staff to be absent from the nursing homes.

Mobile radiography in nursing homes is technically feasible, with good image quality. The most beneficial results were that patients avoided unnecessary transport back and forth to the hospital, and that the majority of patients could be treated locally.