Ensuring safety of healthcare professionals

In order to ensure safety of X-ray technicians and patients, as well as proper distribution of patient flow, the CDT proposed to divide the functional space of radiology departments into so-called "green" and "red" zones.


Radiologists who provide CT scan reports and do not have face-to-face contact with patients are located in the separated clean "green" zone. CT rooms are in the "red" zone. The medical personnel operating in the "red" zone interacts directly with patients and has a particularly heavy workload. To compensate for the shortage of personnel, save time, and increase the device turnover, medical volunteers joined the team. They meet patients, provide them with individual masks, escort them to exam rooms and position them on radiographic tables. The X-ray technicians stay in the control room, set up and run the scan. A healthcare worker disinfects the equipment after completion of each examination. The time intervals between conducted studies have been increased in order to carry out complete sanitary treatment. Medical personnel working in the "red" zone is provided with class three personal protective equipment (PPE). At shift changes, medical staff who start their duties are not overlapping with staff who have completed them.

The division of CT rooms into two zones helped medical staff operate successfully on a regular basis. The CDT developed a special checklist with criteria by which heads of radiology departments can monitor department performance during the pandemic.

Support for X-ray technicians

The decision was made to form a group of x-ray technicians who could substitute permanent staff members when it is necessary. The group included more than 180 participants trained at the CDT. We managed to develop a system where a substitution can be done within a few hours.

The CDT also provides psychological support for x-ray technicians. Increased anxiety was noticed among medical personnel, which is understandable in a difficult epidemiological environment. All x-ray technicians have an opportunity to contact the Center's psychologist to share his/her concerns related to higher stress levels. More than 160 conferences were held on this subject on the Zoom platform.

Unified Radiological Information Service (URIS)

The Unified Radiological Information Service (URIS) has been used in Moscow for a long time. The service integrates different types of radiology equipment into a single network. URIS ensues error-free collaboration between clinicians, radiologists, x-ray technicians, and patients. URIS provides an opportunity for a flexible configuration of radiologists' workplaces with common staffrooms where radiologists can effectively discuss complicated cases. Thanks to URIS, telemedicine consultations on studies of various imaging modalities in real time have become possible.

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