I&TP Last Word


Are you a radiographer? There’s an app for that....


George Michalopoulos outlines how he thinks modern methods of communication will have an impact on radiography.


an age characterised by the ability of individuals to fi nd and transfer information and have instant access to knowledge that would have been diffi cult or impossible to fi nd previously. However, I believe that we have moved on to the next age, the ‘attention’ age, characterised by the increasing abundance of information available, particularly on the internet. This ‘digital’ wealth of information is


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available to anyone who uses a personal computer, laptop or smartphone, which offer more advanced computing ability and connectivity than basic cell- phones. As the use of smartphones has increased over the last three years, it has become obvious that these devices will have a major impact on the way we communicate, interact with the internet, conduct business, or even read books. I believe that such portable devices (including tablet pcs, etc) will have a major impact not only in our daily lives, but also in the medical industry. They will change the way we communicate at work and deliver healthcare services in hospitals. There are literally thousands


of applications for smartphones covering thousands of topics. None of them, however, is related directly to radiography... until now... Every day, radiographers combine patient care with modern medical technology using state- of- the- art medical equipment, and in order to be able to keep up with the latest technological advances, we have to develop our skills continuously. This is even more evident with the new multi- slice ultra- fast CT scanners. Nowadays it is possible to do a ‘whole body’ scan within fi ve seconds and have detailed images up to 0.625mm slice thickness.


As a locum radiographer, I have


been travelling around the UK for the past six years, during which time we have moved on from 4- slice/rot to the amazing ‘true’ 64- slice or ‘pseudo’ 128- slice/rot scanners – and there are constant challenges to learn and adopt the latest technology into our departments. Over the years I have collected a great


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ome say we live in the ‘information’ or ‘computer’ age,


database of CT protocols used across the country, and have now developed an app for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad devices, iCat Scan, which gives a small guidance and a ‘sneak peak’ on the latest protocols used in MDCT scanners. It could be very useful to student radiographers who want to have a better understanding of the protocols used in CT during their clinical placement, but also to radiographers rotating to different modalities and are not very familiar with all the procedures in CT. It could also be a useful tool for experienced radiographers who want to compare different practices across the country and for junior radiologists who could use it to help them choose the right protocol for the given pathology. The app also uses a comprehensive system of organising the protocols in such a way that the radiologist could use it for vetting.


Building an iPhone app was the most


enjoyable thing I’ve ever done but it wasn’t an easy task. It took me more than four years to collect and analyse the data and about a year to develop the application, as part of my MSc. The approval process from Apple Inc


wasn’t very hard, and only took about two weeks for them to review the app. This is a mandatory step so potential ‘bugs’ of its contents can be checked. After that, it ‘goes live’ on the AppStore for distribution. This is the fi rst and only radiography related app in the AppStore, but maybe there is room for more! Probably the most important tip I


can give someone who wants to be a developer is to learn, learn and learn some more. Read as many books you can fi nd and when things get very frustrating: keep at it! Be passionate about what you do, and you will be rewarded!


Try it for yourself! George would like to give away 20 vouchers for free download of his app to members of the SoR. If you are interested please email racheld@ synergymagazine.co.uk. You will only be contacted if you are amongst the fi rst 20 to reply.


July 2010


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