Training activity information
Details
Perform a risk assessment of a clinical ultrasound setting
Type
Developmental training activity (DTA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee​.
Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.
An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.
Considerations
- National safety guidelines and legislation
- Identification of hazards and control measures
- Recommendations for actions to reduce risk
- Patients and workers at risk
- Electrical safety
- Environmental clinical setting
- Infection control
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- Consider specific insights you hope to gain regarding potential risks in a clinical ultrasound environment.
- Think about your current understanding of risk assessment principles and their application to ultrasound.
- Anticipate learning about common hazards related to ultrasound equipment, patient handling, and the clinical environment.
- Consider how to evaluate the likelihood and severity of identified risks.
- Discuss the scope and focus of the risk assessment with your training officer.
- Review relevant safety guidelines, protocols, and any existing risk assessments for ultrasound settings.
- Familiarise yourself with risk assessment frameworks and documentation.
- Consider potential challenges you might encounter during the risk assessment (e.g., identifying all potential hazards, assessing risk levels) and how to manage them.
- Reflect on your current understanding of health and safety legislation relevant to ultrasound.
In action
- Pay attention to your actions. How are you approaching the risk assessment? Why are you doing it this way?
- What decisions are you making as you identify and evaluate risks?
- What aspects of your risk assessment process feel intuitive, and what requires more conscious effort?
- How effective are your actions in identifying potential hazards and assessing risks?
- What challenges are you facing during this risk assessment?
- What can you learn about risk assessment as it unfolds?
- How does this activity connect to your existing knowledge of safety in ultrasound?
- Are there alternative approaches you could be considering for assessing risks in this setting?
- What support or guidance might you need in this moment? Are you working within the scope of risk assessment procedures?
On action
- What potential risks were identified in the clinical ultrasound setting?
- What factors contributed to these risks?
- How were existing safety measures addressed in your risk assessment?
- What did you learn about the process of conducting a risk assessment in a clinical environment?
- How did this activity improve your ability to identify and evaluate potential hazards in ultrasound?
- Were there any unexpected findings during your risk assessment? What did you learn from these?
- How will you apply the principles of risk assessment in your future practice?
- What areas for continued development in risk assessment have you identified?
- What support or resources might you need to further develop your skills in this area?
Beyond action
- Review the risk assessment you performed. Have you encountered similar clinical ultrasound settings since then?
- How did your initial assessment compare to the actual risks you observed later? Consider if your understanding of risk assessment has evolved through other experiences or learning.
- How might you approach this risk assessment differently now?
- Have you discussed risk assessments with colleagues? Did their experiences offer new insights into potential hazards in ultrasound settings?
- How has performing this risk assessment influenced your general approach to identifying and mitigating potential risks in your routine practice with ultrasound equipment?
- Have the analytical skills you used in this training activity been beneficial in other areas, such as quality assurance testing or image interpretation?
- How has this experience informed your understanding of the discussions around risk assessment findings during observed clinical events?
- What transferable skills, such as hazard identification and evaluation, did you gain from this activity that will be important for future responsibilities involving safety management?
- What further development in risk assessment methodologies or specific hazards in ultrasound settings do you see as necessary based on this revisited experience?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Assess the safety of the clinical application of non-ionising radiation. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Interpret routine MR and ultrasound images and advise on the choice of scanning parameters. |