Celebrating World Radiography Day!
Today, Friday 8 November, it's World Radiography Day 2024 - a celebration of therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers, and a day that marks the anniversary of the discovery of X-rays in 1895 by the German Physicist William Roentgen (Wilhelm Rontgen).
This year, on World Radiography Day, we take a moment to shine a light on our exceptional team of therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers here at UHDB, and to express our gratitude for their commitment, professionalism, and tireless efforts to provide the best possible care to our patients. Whether on the front line or behind the scenes, their impact on patient outcomes is immeasurable.
Information stands will be placed near the Main Entrance and Entrance 24 at Royal Derby Hospital (RDH) for the opportunity for colleagues and patients to speak with the team about the contribution of radiography in delivering exceptional care and to find out more about their roles.
Whether it is treating cancer with radiation (radiotherapy) or an X-ray, scan or image to detect fractures or identify abnormalities, we will have all encountered a radiographer and their expertise at some point in our lives.
Therapeutic radiography (radiotherapy) is a type of treatment that uses ionising radiation, either photons or electrons, to destroy cancer cells. Image Guided Radiotherapy is used daily within the radiotherapy department using scans and X-rays to ensure precise and accurate radiation treatment. Surface Guided Radiotherapy is also utilised to ensure accurate treatment by using infra-red cameras to track a patients' surface anatomy in 3D, for both setup and motion management.
Radiography utilises various imaging techniques to generate images of the internal structures of the body - often operating sophisticated medical equipment such as x-ray machines, Computed Tomography (CT) scanners, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners, and ultrasound machines. These images play a vital role in how we as an organisation deliver care to our communities.