A Policy Examination of Covid-19 Impact on the Radiology Department Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): The Malaysian Experience

Ahmad LuqmanulHakim Ahmad Sunawari; Aisyah Rahimi; Aminatul Saadiah Abdul Jamil; Shahrina Ismail; Azira Khalil

doi:10.33102/mjosht.v10i1.386

Authors

Ahmad LuqmanulHakim Ahmad Sunawari Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
Aisyah Rahimi Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
Aminatul Saadiah Abdul Jamil Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
Shahrina Ismail Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
Azira Khalil Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/mjosht.v10i1.386

Keywords:

medical imaging, radiology workforce, standard operating procedure, Covid-19 policy

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the new management policy in medical imaging of the Covid-19 post-pandemic transition. This paper discussed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) introduced by the Ministry of Health (MoH) Malaysia to prevent and control intrahospital transmissions of Covid-19. A conceptual framework is proposed to highlight the key areas in the national SOP for preventing Covid-19 intrahospital transmissions in the radiology department. The key areas were classified into four categories: planned requests (patient appointments), (ii) open-access management (walk-in patient workflow and the triage system), (iii) direct contact (during radiology procedures), and (iv) exit policy and disinfection (post imaging conduct). The paper ends with a summary of diagnostic imaging classifications based on chest radiographs (CXR) and Computed Tomography (CT) images of suspected and confirmed Covid-19 patients. The Covid-19 SOP for the radiology department by the MoH was found to retain most of the patient quarantine and isolation guidelines by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and incorporated several international policies on patient triage and disinfection of radiological equipment. The majority of the SOP is also sustained, like the SOP during the pandemic, except for the SOP that has been proven to be insignificant by recent research. The Covid-19 SOP for the radiology department plays an important role in reducing the intrahospital spread of Covid-19, with some areas needing improvement. Health workers in the radiology department should continue implementing the Covid-19 SOP and increase their knowledge in identifying Covid-19 signs on radiographic images to help safeguard themselves and the patients from intrahospital transmissions.

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