There are two emergency theatres booked at the same time that require radiography, and only you in the X-ray department and a CT on-call radiographer are available. What would you do?

There are two emergency theatres booked at the same time that require radiography, and only you in the X-ray department and a CT on-call radiographer are available. What would you do?

• A. Explain to the theatres that there is only one radiographer available so they will need to prioritise their patients.
• B. If this cannot be done then I would try and work in both theatres at the same time, disabling the radiation when not in room. X-ray unfortunately would not be on demand as it normally would be and may take longer to perform the procedure.
• C. If this is not possible then contact on-call radiographer.
• D. I would not inform anyone and wait.

Answer: (A)

When emergencies line up but staffing is limited, safety and clear communication drive the decision. A radiographer cannot safely run two theatres at once, so the practical approach is to set expectations with the clinical teams and triage imaging based on urgency and potential harm from delay. Explain that only one radiographer is available and that imaging must be prioritized. This starts a real-time decision-making process with the theatre staff so they can identify which patient needs imaging immediately and which can wait a short while. It keeps patient safety at the forefront, prevents unsafe multitasking, and establishes who will be responsible for coordinating the imaging load. If possible, involve the on-call radiographer to provide guidance or assistance, but the immediate action is to communicate the constraint and agree on priorities. Going ahead with attempts to cover both theatres simultaneously would be unsafe and impractical, since it risks mistakes, increased radiation exposure, and compromised sterile or procedural conditions. Waiting without informing anyone delays critical care and leaves the team uncertain what to do.

When emergencies line up but staffing is limited, safety and clear communication drive the decision. A radiographer cannot safely run two theatres at once, so the practical approach is to set expectations with the clinical teams and triage imaging based on urgency and potential harm from delay.

Explain that only one radiographer is available and that imaging must be prioritized. This starts a real-time decision-making process with the theatre staff so they can identify which patient needs imaging immediately and which can wait a short while. It keeps patient safety at the forefront, prevents unsafe multitasking, and establishes who will be responsible for coordinating the imaging load. If possible, involve the on-call radiographer to provide guidance or assistance, but the immediate action is to communicate the constraint and agree on priorities.

Going ahead with attempts to cover both theatres simultaneously would be unsafe and impractical, since it risks mistakes, increased radiation exposure, and compromised sterile or procedural conditions. Waiting without informing anyone delays critical care and leaves the team uncertain what to do.