With a large amount of work waiting and three trauma patients outside, what is your initial course of action in coordinating radiography and portable X-rays?

With a large amount of work waiting and three trauma patients outside, what is your initial course of action in coordinating radiography and portable X-rays?

• A. Contact the on-call radiographer if one is available.
• B. Non-life threatening injuries will have to wait.
• C. Focus on trauma patients as these are the priority.
• D. When on-call radiographer comes, ask them to do the portables and then assist with the remainder of the trauma/portable patients.

Answer: (A)

In a high-demand trauma scenario, the first move is to quickly bring in the person who coordinates radiography. Contacting the on-call radiographer immediately activates the team, clarifies who will run the portable X-ray units, and establishes the imaging sequence. This allows lifesaving trauma imaging to be organized without delay while other cases are slotted into the workflow as resources permit. The radiographer can guide technique, positioning, and safety, and decide if additional staff or portables are needed to prevent bottlenecks. Waiting for them to arrive or trying to image without this leadership risks delays and disorganization, even though trauma care remains the priority.

In a high-demand trauma scenario, the first move is to quickly bring in the person who coordinates radiography. Contacting the on-call radiographer immediately activates the team, clarifies who will run the portable X-ray units, and establishes the imaging sequence. This allows lifesaving trauma imaging to be organized without delay while other cases are slotted into the workflow as resources permit. The radiographer can guide technique, positioning, and safety, and decide if additional staff or portables are needed to prevent bottlenecks. Waiting for them to arrive or trying to image without this leadership risks delays and disorganization, even though trauma care remains the priority.