ISRRT_COVID-19_book
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Mobile chest x-ray imaging: Factors leading to the creation of the<br />
Peter Hogg<br />
<strong>ISRRT</strong>/EFRS <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong> website<br />
Introduction<br />
This chapter outlines the factors which led to the creation of the chest x-ray website which is<br />
housed within the <strong>ISRRT</strong> eLearning platform. The website’s purpose is to help radiographers<br />
and radiologists learn how to take and interpret chest radiographs, whilst protecting<br />
themselves from contracting <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong>. The chapter considers the major contextual factors<br />
which resulted in an inspirational moment in which I conceived the website idea. The factors<br />
stretch back as far as 2009 and as far forwards to include the first 24 hours after which the<br />
initiative was conceived. Including this chapter into this <strong>book</strong> will hopefully highlight the value<br />
of professional networking and personal contacts, and the importance of realizing that<br />
seemingly disparate pieces of information and experiences can converge to highlight<br />
problems and propose solutions, especially in the face of adversity.<br />
The inspirational moment and my proposal<br />
Around 8.30am, on Saturday 4 th April 2020, I was having breakfast with my wife, Dianne,<br />
whilst watching BBC news. As had become the norm, there was no other news than <strong>COVID</strong>-<br />
<strong>19</strong> and it was depressing. I said to Dianne, I felt like I needed to do something to help and<br />
pondered on whether my very out of date clinical skills might be of value to the local hospital.<br />
In a flash a problem and its solution came into my mind and what my contribution would be.<br />
I surmised mobile chest x-ray would become a common global imaging procedure in the<br />
pandemic and I was fairly sure there was nothing about how to interpret the image in the<br />
literature with <strong>COVID</strong> <strong>19</strong> diagnosis in mind. Similarly, there was little available for free on how<br />
to take good quality chest x-ray images in a <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong> environment in a safe fashion. My<br />
proposal was to create a free to access website about how to conduct mobile chest x rays on<br />
suspected <strong>COVID</strong>-<strong>19</strong> patients and how to interpret the images.<br />
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