A patient transferred from another hospital has known orthopaedic injuries and the request form lists pelvis, lateral hip, ankle and chest X-rays. What do you do first?

A patient transferred from another hospital has known orthopaedic injuries and the request form lists pelvis, lateral hip, ankle and chest X-rays. What do you do first?

• A. Insist the images are retrieved from the other hospital (sent through Imaging exchange portal - IEP).
• B. If there is reason to believe there has been any clinical change in the patient. Then this may justify the need for another.
• C. Do the pelvis and chest X-rays as requested.
• D. Ignore the request.

Answer: (A)

Retrieving the outside hospital’s images through the Imaging Exchange Portal first is the best move because it gives you immediate access to prior studies for comparison. This helps you determine what’s new versus what’s old, check for any changes in injury status, and decide whether new radiographs are truly needed. It also avoids duplicating radiation exposure and saves time, which is crucial for a patient with multiple injuries who has just been transferred. If prior imaging isn’t available, you would then proceed with the indicated radiographs. Ignoring the request or jumping straight to imaging without checking available studies would not optimize safety or efficiency.

Retrieving the outside hospital’s images through the Imaging Exchange Portal first is the best move because it gives you immediate access to prior studies for comparison. This helps you determine what’s new versus what’s old, check for any changes in injury status, and decide whether new radiographs are truly needed. It also avoids duplicating radiation exposure and saves time, which is crucial for a patient with multiple injuries who has just been transferred. If prior imaging isn’t available, you would then proceed with the indicated radiographs. Ignoring the request or jumping straight to imaging without checking available studies would not optimize safety or efficiency.