INVESTIGATING AUSTRALIAN RADIOGRAPHERS' PERCEPTIONS ON ADVANCED Research Paper

INVESTIGATING AUSTRALIAN RADIOGRAPHERS' PERCEPTIONS ON ADVANCED PRACTICE WITH EMPHASIS ON IMAGE INTERPRETATION AND INVOLVED TR - Research Paper Example With advanced radiographic practice, radiographers are allowed not only to acquire medical images but to perform skills formerly restricted to other specialists, such as image interpretation (Hardy and others 2008, e16) and clinical assessment. It was said that the main benefit of this system is to free physicians and other highly-trained specialists to concentrate on their essential function – that is, to diagnose and to treat (Australian Institute of Radiography 2009). United Kingdom leads the development in advanced radiographic practice (Cowling 2008), with the radiographer’s roles changing towards diagnosis and even radiation therapy over the last twenty years (Australian Institute of Radiography 2009). However, several countries still have not fully accepted advanced practice. In Australia, while there have been attempts to implement role expansion, advanced practice has not been officially established (Burrow and others 2006). This is despite the fact that the co untry has shortage of radiologists attributed to reduced working hours and small staff growth rate increase (Smith and Baird 2008). Several reasons were identified for this uncertainty in Australia including resistance from the medical workforce and radiographer education, thereby affecting radiographer’s perception towards advanced practice. Given the situation, it is necessary to explore the aspects of advanced practice in Australia since resistance to it may lead to reduced standards and recognition of the profession of the radiographers (Cowling 2008). United Kingdom vs. Australia: A Comparison The demand for radiologists due to the increasing population has been regarded as the major factor that drives the need for advanced radiographic practice worldwide. Between United Kingdom and Australia, the number of patients per radiologist is greater for the latter (Smith and Baird 2007, 629). However, when it comes to the number of examinations per year, reports show that Unite d Kingdom has more compared to Australia (Smith and Baird 2007, 629). While imbalance between supply and demand exists in these two countries, each adapted a different approach in carrying out advanced practice. According to Cowling (2008, e29), advanced radiographic practice worldwide can be classified at several levels. United Kingdom belongs to the first level which is characterized by the presence of driving forces such as government intervention, research, graduate programs and professional organizations that lead to implementation of advanced practice in the field (Cowling 2008, e29). On the other hand, Australia only belongs to the second level, in which despite the presence of the same driving forces, implementation has not been carried out to remarkable levels (Cowling 2008, e29). In United Kingdom, government policy has been directed towards enhancing the National Health Service; thus, contributing to the advancement of radiographers’ roles and practice (Australian Institute of Radiography 2009, 28). In fact, the government has increased funds for the National Health Service (Smith and Baird