Mobile imaging has proven more convenient for nursing homes than traditional methods for imaging and screening, and it is greatly improving the quality of care for patients. At the core of this issue is the fact that transportation to a radiology department or related facility can present a challenge for nursing home patients – but perhaps most importantly, transporting elderly patients can result in confusion while exacerbating their medical condition(s).

 

The “Point-of-Care” Factor

 

Healthcare system administrators and nurses are faced with the ever-evolving challenge of providing more efficient and cost-effective healthcare. Another way of describing the mobile imaging approach is what’s known as “point-of-care,” referring to testing that can be performed at a patient’s bedside through the utilization of portable ultrasonography and other solutions. Over the decades, testing has continued to move toward the point-of-care approach; in fact, a recent survey in five countries – including the US, UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Australia – indicated that general practitioners/family physicians would like to use more point-of-care testing.

 

The driving force behind point-of-care is to bring convenient testing directly to the patient- a tactic that improves the likelihood that the patient, his or her physician and his or her care team garner the results quicker, allowing for improved immediate clinical management decisions to be made more quickly.

 

Some Conclusions

 

 

Mobile imaging devices and services, such as those offered by Alpha One, provide reduced anxiety, confusion and potentially exacerbated medical conditions for patients. It also provides a reduction in the use of ambulance and taxi transportation – including personnel accompanying the residents – proves mobile imaging services to be cost-effective, as well.

 

 

The bottom line is that the transfer of residents to hospitals for seemingly simple examinations, such as x-rays, leads to a significant burden for nursing home residents, especially those suffering from afflictions like dementia. On the other hand, examinations performed “locally” in nursing homes reduce unnecessary anxiety and confusion, specifically for those suffering from such other neurodegenerative disorders.

 

The Alpha One Difference

 

Our services provide “homebound” (i.e. assisted living/long-term care) patients the opportunity to stay in their familiar surroundings, while effectively eliminating the expensive protocol associated with patient transportation and the unnecessary stress that comes along with moving these residents. To this end, Alpha One Imaging is committed to providing exceptionally high-quality imaging services with rapid response times, a mission to cultivating a team approach to resident care and successfully integrating our services into our clients’ healthcare environment.

Contact Alpha One today to learn more about how we’ve become an industry authority among senior care living communities.