DescriptionThe General X-ray Room provides the space and equipment for undertaking general radiographic imaging. This Standard Component may be located within a Medical Imaging Unit or Emergency Unit.Hours of OperationUp to 24 hoursOccupancy1 patient; 1-2 staffAdditional Considerations~ Equipment is to be installed to manufacturer’s specifications with sufficient clearances for maintenance access. Installation and replacement access routes should also be considered. Additional building services connections and outlets are to be coordinated to suit equipment requirements. Cable ducts for services between the patient table, vertical bucky, imaging device and the control area will be required and must be coordinated with the MME vendor.
~ A unistrut type ceiling may be required depending on equipment to be installed.
~ All shielding on this Standard Component is indicative. Radiation shielding to suit the overall department layout, anticipated workload and the equipment procured is to be assessed and advised by a qualified Radiation Consultant to meet relevant legislation and local radiation safety policies.
~ An ‘X-ray in Use’ light system is required with signs at each entry to the imaging room that are illuminated when the imaging device is on and turned off when it stops. The exact wording required on illuminated signs will be determined by relevant legislation and local radiation safety policies. Project teams must confirm all radiation safety signage requirements with their jurisdiction’s regulatory agency.
~ The room may need to accommodate a patient on a bed to either be transferred to the x-ray table or have the x-ray performed while they are on the bed. Bed movement into, around and out of the room, and patient transfer should be considered during planning to reduce manual handling.
~ Provision of additional speakers and microphones within the room for communication between staff and the patient from the control area will be dependent on service requirements, final room layout and equipment selection.
~ Provision of height adjustable workstations or fixed joinery is to be in line with service requirements and local WHS policies.
~ The type, extent and configuration of storage within the room for consumables, linen, equipment, etc. will be dependent on service requirements, operational policies for stock centralisation/decanting and infection prevention and control policies.
~ Hours of operation depend on the service in which this room is located. Ambulatory medical imaging services may only operate during business hours or extended business hours, some small hospital services may have an on-call, after-hours service. Large units are likely to provide a 24-hour service, especially where a satellite service is provided with an emergency department.
~ Size, type and quantity of waste bins is dependent on waste management policies (e.g. for waste separation, frequency of waste removal, etc.) and service requirements.
~ Requirement for fixed and/or mobile duress to be confirmed to suit service requirements.
~ An operational model for responding to calls from staff/patients will be needed to support the inclusion of a nurse call system and is to be determined based on service requirements.
~ Provision of an intercom for staff communication within the department is dependent on service requirements. This function may be provided as part of the telephone system.
~ The final services and configuration of the Medical Services Panel (MSP) - medical gases, nurse call, power and data - will be dependent on service requirements.
~ The need for and extent of emergency power and UPS must be reviewed to suit site specific requirements and confirmed based on risk assessment considering the impact of a power outage on patient care/safety.