Radiographer reporting: A literature review to support cancer workforce planning in England

YesObjective: Clinical Imaging contributes to screening, diagnosis, planning and monitoring of treatment and surveillance in cancer care. This literature review summarises evidence about radiographer reporting to help imaging service providers respond to Health Education England's 2017 Cancer Workforce Plan project to expand radiographer reporting in clinical service provision. Key findings: Papers published between 1992 and 2018 were reviewed (n ¼ 148). Evidence related to dynamic examinations (fluoroscopy, ultrasound) and mammography was excluded. Content was analysed and summarised using the following headings: clinical scope of practice, responsibilities, training, assessment, impact in practice and barriers to expansion. Radiographer reporting is well established in the United Kingdom. Scope of practice varies individually and geographically. Deployment of appropriately trained reporting radiographers is helping the NHS maintain high quality clinical imaging service provision and deliver a cost-effective increase in diagnostic capacity. Conclusion: Working within multiprofessional clinical imaging teams, within a defined scope of practice and with access to medical input when required, reporting radiographers augment capacity in diagnostic pathways and release radiologist time for other complex clinical imaging responsibilities

Network centrality and organizational aspirations: A behavioral interaction in the context of international strategic alliances

Whereas social network analysis has been associated with organizational aspirations, little is known on how firm's structural positioning, and particularly network centrality, affects organizational aspirations to engage in international strategic alliances (ISA). This study examines the impact of network centrality on firm's internationalization behavior within the ISA domain in response to the performance-aspiration gap. We build on social and behavioral perspectives to predict that network centrality and performance-based aspirations will be associated with the number of ISA the firm engages in. Using a sample of 7760 alliance collaborations from the top 81 global pharmaceutical firms for the period of 1991-2012, we find supporting evidence for most of our arguments

Feasibility study of low force robotic friction stir process and its effect on cavitation erosion and electrochemical corrosion for Ni Al bronze alloys

Robotic friction stir processing (FSP) has not been widely researched to date. This is perhaps due to the limited force capabilities of industrial robots in comparison with dedicated commercial FSP equipment. When operating a FSP machine, the force used to plunge the tools may range from 5000 to 8000 N which is currently beyond the capability of most robots. However, the capacity of robotic manipulators is increasing, so low force friction stir processing is becoming feasible. The ability of the robot arm to apply a controlled force that is normal to a 3-dimensional surface without the need to reorient the workpiece makes it a very useful tool for FSP of complex components. In this analysis, a robot arm with a capacity of 2500 N is used to improve the surface properties of nickel aluminum bronze (NAB) using low force FSP. Multiple passes were applied to the surface of the test sample for a more consistent spread of the stir zone. The sample was then microhardness tested and demonstrated a 62 pct increase in surface hardness. Cavitation erosion testing of the original and processed surfaces was also performed as per ASTM G-32. The erosion rate of the processed NAB sample was 44 pct of the rate experienced by the original cast NAB sample. Finally, the corrosion potentials of FSP NAB were measured at 45 mV less anodic than the unprocessed material, indicating that the processed material is more noble relative to the cast NAB sample

Breaking bad and difficult news in obstetric ultrasound and sonographer burnout: Is training helpful?

Background: Sonographers report high levels of burnout. For those working in obstetric ultrasound, one frequently cited stressor is the delivery of bad or difficult news. Training in news delivery may reduce sonographer stress levels, but no studies have investigated sonographer experiences of this training. Aims: To investigate sonographer experiences of difficult news delivery training and preferences for training techniques, and to assess whether news delivery training is associated with lower burnout and higher wellbeing. Methods: A cross-sectional survey measured occupational characteristics, news delivery training experiences and preferences, burnout (on two dimensions of exhaustion and disengagement), and general mental wellbeing. Results: Ninety sonographers (85 female; mean age = 47) responded. The majority of participants thought training in difficult news delivery had improved their practice. Preferred training techniques were observation of clinical practice and receiving service-user input. Eighty per cent of participants were experiencing exhaustion, 43.3% were experiencing disengagement and 88.9% could be classed as having a minor psychiatric disorder. Having received difficult news delivery training was associated with lower levels of disengagement, even when other variables were controlled for. Discussion: News delivery training is perceived to be effective by sonographers and may help to reduce sonographer burnout levels