Mobile X-ray

Now there are mobile X-ray machines that allow elderly people who have fallen not to have to go to the hospital to be examined. In Norrtälje, this is being tested at all nursing homes within the municipality. A nurse at the hospital takes the X-ray equipment and goes to the nursing home instead of the elderly having to ride an ambulance back and forth to the hospital, sitting and waiting in an emergency room with all that entails.

Reduces both suffering and costs

The introduction of mobile X-rays must be a great win for both healthcare and the elderly. In serious fall accidents and when it is likely a fracture, the resident must go anyway. But many times it's just a suspicion of a fracture and the nurse is forced to send the resident for safety's sake. Now the nurse can wait in consultation with the doctor and refer the examination to the mobile X-ray.

Even other X-ray examinations than those where a fracture is suspected can take place at the nursing home. If it turns out to be a fracture, the resident can be admitted directly to a care unit without passing the emergency room's waiting area.

An emergency visit for a person living in a nursing home often takes up to six hours with transports and examinations. For a person with dementia and their relatives, it can become very strenuous due to increased confusion. To have an examination at home is of course much calmer.
Even other X-ray examinations than those where a fracture is suspected can take place at the nursing home. If it turns out to be a fracture, the resident can be admitted directly to a care unit without having to pass the emergency room's waiting area.

There are studies from the Skåne region that show that it is economically cheaper for society to send the X-ray equipment to the nursing home. Mainly by avoiding unnecessary care days and suffering. More than half of those sent for X-ray examination after a fall accident have no injuries at all.
Mobile X-ray is also well in line with the vision of close care.

Improved care in rural areas

Mobile X-rays can also be advantageously used in rural areas where people may have a long journey to the nearest hospital or may have to use medical transport both to and from the hospital, perhaps unnecessarily.

Care staff:
- Is healthcare adopting new technology in your region so that unnecessary transports can be avoided?
- How do you view the use of new technology to make life easier for our elderly?

Manager, nurse, occupational therapist and physiotherapist:
- Is there anything you can do to reduce the need for "unnecessary" hospital visits?
- Is there other technology that could also help to reduce unnecessary transports?

Residents and relatives:
- How do you view the development of using technology to do more at the nursing home and avoid hospital visits?  

Erland Olsson
Specialist nurse
Sofrosyne - Better care every day