Giles Walter Boland MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Margaret Pyne Houghton, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

David Marchione, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Increasing CT throughput is essential to meeting stakeholder demands by increasing patient access, reducing waiting lists, minimizing unit costs and maximizing revenue. Patient throughput can be limited with reduced CT staff due to the number of unique technoloigst tasks required to process a patient through a CT scan. However, many tasks could be performed simultaneously by using additional personnel. This study therefore evaluated how many patients per hour can be scanned using a single, two or three-technologist model on multislice CT.

The number and type of individual technologist tasks was initially evaluated. The time to perform these tasks was then measured using a single, two or three-technologist model. In addition the time a patient was within the CT scanner room was evaluated in order to determine maximal patient throughput on a CT scanner. The type of CT examinations was also evaluated.

A total of 205 outpatients were evaluated (48, 65 and 92 patients with 1, 2 or 3 technologists respectively). 34 unique technologist tasks were identified as necessary to process a patient through CT. Total time to perform all tasks for a single, two and three technologist model was 27, 23 and 22 minutes respectively. CT room time per patient for 1, 2 and 3 technologists was 12, 9.7 and 8.0 minutes respectively. However the number of patients scanned/hour for 1, 2 and 3 technologist model was 2.2, 6.2, and 7.5 respectively as a single technologist has to perform the tasks in series, whereas multiple technologists can perform them in parallel.

A single technologist model for multislice CT is inefficient with limited opportunity for patient throughput. Use of multiple technologists optimizes CT throughput, particularly with a 3-technologist model. CT departments can therefore justify the marginal cost increase to hire the necessary additional personnel, which can yield over a threefold increase in CT productivity.

Use of multiple technologists significantly increases multislice CT outpatient throughput and can yield over a 3x increase in productivity, justifying the marginal cost increases to hire extra staff.

Boland, G, Houghton, M, Marchione, D, Maximizing Multislice CT Productivity: Use of Multiple Technologists to Optimize Patient Throughput.  Radiological Society of North America 2007 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2007 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2007/5009730.html