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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Sep 1.
Published in final edited form as: Ann Biomed Eng. 2013 Mar 13;41(9):1899–1912. doi: 10.1007/s10439-013-0783-9

Table 2.

Description of video breakdown from 2012 DVD detailing the five segments: Radiology, PM&R, Pathology, ICU, CVC.

2012 Video Distribution

Segments Length Components Summary
Radiology 13:04
  1. MRI

  2. Pediatric Radiology

The major modalities in the Radiology Department are X-Ray, Computed Tomography, Ultrasound, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Sometimes transferring a patient into the MRI room can be difficult with regards to patient size and equipment attached to the patient. Claustrophobia is also a concern. Protocols in place to get around these difficulties often lead to subpar images. Constraints with dealing with children also lead to poor radiographs. The use of fluoroscopy to correct intussusception, the telescoping of intestine around itself, can cause detrimental effects to the patient, while ultrasound can be safer and more efficient.

PM & R 13:52
  1. Trunk Strength

  2. Functional Activities

  3. Space Constraint

  4. Bedside Physical Therapy

  5. Physical Therapy in the Burn Unit

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation focuses on improving mobility for many patients in the hospital, especially those with traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or spinal cord injuries. There are a variety of devices to assist walking, standing up, or sitting down, but these devices have inherent constraints and storage space is limited. Some patients are so immobile they require bedside physical therapy. This poses complications because of the many lines Intensive Care patients are hooked up to. Physical and Occupational Therapists in the Burn Unit have an additional concern because burn wounds around the neck and arms contract as they heal if not properly addressed.

Pathology 20:16
  1. Clinical lab

  2. Specialty Testing Center

  3. Point of care testing

  4. Flow cytometry

  5. Microbiology

  6. Frozen section

  7. Gross anatomy

A variety of laboratory testing occurs within the Pathology Department, including the testing of live and expired specimens. Checking for clots is one bottleneck because the test is performed manually. The Frozen Section deals with samples taken from a patient in the Operating Room, placing a large time constraint on making a diagnosis because surgeons are waiting to hear back. One of the rate-limiting steps is the staining of slides for better viewing. In gross anatomy, people are the rate-limiting step of sample processing, from the time of cutting up the tissue sample to placing it on a slide.

ICU 15:14
  1. Beds for Obese Patients

  2. Layout of ICU Room

  3. Respiratory Care

  4. Procedures

  5. Communication

The ICU is a place for people that need continuous monitoring and/or suffer from organ failure. The placement of the bed and monitoring systems is not optimal for doctors or patients' health. There are limitations in using nasogastric and orogastric tubes. When a patient is intubated in the hospital, an endotracheal tube is inflated in their airway, which can lead to complications if it is not properly inflated. Most patients have catheters in their arteries, but patient movement can cause them to lose functionality. The Emergency Medical Record system in place at the UCDMC is not an intuitive program and prevents communication between the hospital staff.

CVC 15:30
  1. Mannequins

  2. Procedures

  3. Intravenous Lines

The goal of the Center for Virtual Care is to provide clinicians with a virtual environment for learning to enhance patient care. Mannequins simulate a variety of biologically correct functions, such as blinking, pulses, breath sounds, and heart sounds. Mannequins can hook up to real patient equipment, allowing clinicians to practice both simple and more complicated procedures such as a Percutaneous Tracheostomy. As complex as these mannequins are, they are nowhere near replacing people. Many advances are needed to make the mannequins more realistic.