6.2. CT Scan with Contrast Recommendations
6.2.1. Recommendation for Practice
Although there are various acute adverse reactions that result from the administration of iodine-based contrast drugs in the examination of the patients with CT-scans, there is the need for the population to acknowledge the benefits of CT-scans, the importance of the iodine-based contrast drugs and benefits that patients get from the administration of the same in the society (Namasivayam, Kalra, Torres & Small, 2006). This proves that the society should not holistically dismiss the importance of such a kind of treatment but engage on ways of mitigating the negative effects and improve the effectiveness of such drugs in the society. It is, therefore, advisable for medical practitioners to examine and weigh the challenges and benefits of iodine-containing contrast drugs during the examination of CT-scans to make the right decisions. Radiologist employ the use of iodine-based contrast media to improve clarity of images during CT-scans, this makes it easy for doctors to carry out deep analysis and help in the finding the most accurate results in the body of the patient thereby improving the quality of healthcare in the population (Hayashi, Narumi, Takagi, Takehara, Arai, Kuwatsuru & Fukuda, 2011). There are tests that cannot be carried out without the use of iodine-based contrast media.
Due to the various adverse effects of the iodine-based contrast drugs, the society need to ensure that they seek help from the right medical professionals, and these include a certified radiologist, a specialized doctor, a radiology nurse, a radiographer to reduce cases of poor medical attention that could have various adverse effects on the body of patients (Jakobsen, 2007). On the occasions of CT-scanning and angiography, there is the need for medical practitioners to use electric pump in the injection of the contrast drug. Patients should also understand the right places where iodine-based contrast drugs are given, and patients need to ensure that such drugs are given on the in the CT scanning room, in the angiography suite, and in the fluoroscopy room during the process of carrying out examination of the test or scan. When there is the need for the patient to drink the iodine-based contrast drug, then it should be done one or two hours prior to the examination process of CT scan (Stacul, 2007).
6.2.2. Reduction of Adverse Drug Reaction
To ensure that the use of iodine-based contrast drugs is beneficial to patients and that there is a reduction in the adverse effects, medical professionals need to carry out the right preprocedure evaluation of patients, select the right procedure, and employ the use of the adequate prophylactic measures (Biondi-Zoccai, Lotrionte, Thomsen, Romagnoli, D’Ascenzo, Giordano ; Frati, 2014). Such ensures that the right medical processes are used during the application of contrast drugs and that there are set ways of mitigating negative effects of contrast drugs. Moreover, patients need to go through the right and relevant awareness to make them know the effects of the procedure they go through so that they become psychologically prepared of the process and the resulting effects which helps in reducing cases of stress and psychological distress. Medics also need to go through the right form of training to make them very effective and efficient in the provision of services to reduce the negative effects of provision of quality healthcare to the population (Kanny et al., 2005).
Preparation for the medical procedure is another way of improving quality care and to ascertain that cases of adverse reactions from the use of iodine-based contrast drugs. Preparation calls for having the right equipment, drugs, knowledge, skills and information to carry out the process (Stacul ; Bellin, 2014). There is the need to acknowledge that adequate preparation helps medics to be more prepared to combat the adverse effects and roll out mitigation steps to tackle the challenges resulting from the same. Additionally, the medical practitioners also need to lay out appropriate and effective therapy in preparation for situations of adverse reactions which helps to regain normal working condition of patients and combat challenges that patients face in the society. Standardization of iodine-based contrast drugs should also be carried out to ensure that the quality of medical practice is standard and uniform in all health facilities to make it easy to solicit forms of treatments from different health facilities in the society (Meurer, Laniado, Hosten, Kelsch ; Hogstrom, 2015).
It is apparent that there is a vast field of research regarding iodine-based contrast drugs and researchers and medics need to engage in various research processes to improve knowledge regarding methods of treatment and helps in preventing cases of adverse effects in the population (Stacul ; Morcos, 2014). Research is required to help in the production of new types of drugs that can be used during the processes of CT-scans but do not have any negative effects. Moreover, there should be developed and produced new and effective types of drugs that can be used in mitigating the negative effects of the contrast drugs to reduce cases of side effects of drugs used for CT-scans. Equipment used in the CT scans also need to be improved and a new technology should be employed for the purposes of improving the competency of doctors and make CT scans to be more effective and help in preventing the negative effects of the same. In this regard, one issue of great importance is the competency of the medics as it is prudent increased competency leads to increase in the effectiveness of the methods of treatment and provision of CT scans in addition to the use of iodine-based contrast drugs (Fananapazir, Troppmann, Corwin, Bent, Vu ; Lamba, 2016).
There is the need for the society to improve knowledge regarding the effects of iodine-based contrast drugs and the sensitize the population about the benefits of carrying out CT scans in the body of patients (Ghaghada, Sato, Starosolski, Berg ; Vail, 2016). Such would make the society aware of the benefits of the same and ensure that there is acknowledgement of the efforts that medics have taken to improve the living standards of the population. Medics need to appreciate the impacts of technology in the modern society and ensure that technological development is geared towards improvement of quality of healthcare. Such initiatives would help in tackling challenges in the healthcare system and create solutions to the common problems affecting the society and make the globe a better place. Finally, there should be developed alternative ways of tackling challenges regarding adverse effects of iodine-based contrast drugs to provide various ways of mitigating the challenge and offer different ways of improving quality of healthcare in the society (Andreucci, Solomon ; Tasanarong, 2014).
