Clinical
The Department of Diagnostic Radiology's
physicians provide sub-specialty diagnostic
imaging consultative service to the physicians
of the Clinical Departments and their divisions,
and diagnostic interpretations of imaging
studies requested by primary care physicians
and consultants in the Greater Kingston
Area and, for some services, to those in
Southeastern Ontario. These services are
provided through the Departments of Imaging
Services at Kingston General Hospital (KGH),
Hotel
Dieu Hospital (HDH), and Providence
Continuing Care Centre - St. Mary's
of the Lake site (PCCC). The Departments
physicians also provide interventional therapies,
such as imaging guided biopsies and drainages,
general and neuroradiologic endovascular
therapies. These procedures are performed
in collaboration with clinical services.
There is a general radiology and an interventional
on-call service provided through the KGH
department, 24 hours per day, seven days
per week.
The Departments physicians assume a medical
advisory role for the hospital in the area
of information technology as it pertains
to digital imaging, and radiation safety.
The departments physicians support various
local and regional clinical programs including
the Regional Stroke Program, the Ontario
Breast Screening program, the Cancer
Centre of Southeastern Ontario at Kingston
General Hospital, Emergency Department,
Critical Care Program, Fetal Assessment
Unit, Operating Room.
Technology Infrastructure
The Department is currently film-based and
lags behind some of its smaller referral
centers in the electronic transport of digital
images on clinical referral of the patient.
The Departments technology has several
sections that include: plain radiography
including portables, dedicated chest unit,
and emergency room unit; fluoroscopy including
a single plane vascular and a bi-plane neurovascular
units; a single 4-slice multi-detector CT
scanner, a single 1.5 Tesla MRI magnet;
and a nuclear medicine section with two
dual-head and two single-head gamma cameras;
and a research funded bone mineral density
unit.
Research
The physicians within the Department of
Diagnostic Radiology are involved primarily
in research through collaboration with physicians
from the clinical departments. The collaboration
often involves expertise during the planning
of the research, supervision of the technological
aspects of the research, or interpretative
services. A few department physicians, through
mentorship of resident research, initiate
small non-funded projects.
The various imaging modalities are a sought
after resource for clinical investigators,
however, time is primarily devoted to clinical
care with little flexibility. The technologist
staffing levels are matched to clinical
work with little or no redundancy to support
research. Other progressive clinical departments
with their initiative and doctoral staff
drive majority of imaging research within
the department and the institution.
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Outstanding care, always.
