File room operation in a radiology department.

Abstract

IT IS OUR OBJECT in this brief paper to outline several facets of the operation of a file room in a busy radiology department in a general hospital. While we do not claim that our methods are novel, ingenious or even original, we believe that an account of them may be helpful to others. Basically, our file room procedures, which begin with the completely processed roentgenograms and end with their distribution to the radiologists for interpretation, consist of two important spheres of operation. These are: the sorting of the processed roentgenograms and their distribution for interpretation. The Sorting Operation We have modified the vertical sorting system described in Planning Guide for Radiologic Installations (1), and currently in use at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Radiology and other institutions. This vertical sorting system consists of three tiers of bins (Fig. 1) numbered from left to right 00–99. Each set of numbers refers to a group of 3 vertical tiers in sequence. The designating numbers represent the last 2 digits of the x-ray number. The bins run horizontally for 81/2 feet and are 51/2 feet high. In our department we have 33 of these bins on a horizontal level. The uppermost row of bins is a potential repository for recently processed films. The middle bin in the vertical tier is for the completed case, preparatory to its distribution for interpretation. The lowermost bin is designed to hold those completely sorted roentgenograms for which the regular x-ray jackets are not immediately available. In addition to the usual permanent x-ray jacket, on which are the patient's name and x-ray number, as well as the type and date of each examination, a work jacket is used, with different colored print to designate the source of the examination. Thus, blue represents outpatients and ward cases; green, private and semiprivate patients; purple, neuroradiologic cases; red, fluoroscopic examinations, etc. These work jackets are made of strong but cheap burlap paper, so that they may be used repeatedly, up to 56 times, both sides being available for use. As will be seen from Figure 2, provision is made for listing the date, x-ray number, number of roentgenograms exposed, and number of roentgenograms filed on each side of the work jacket. The film-sorting clerk, at the initiation of her work, places the work jacket and permanent jacket in an upper bin under the proper number. She then places the x-ray request in the work jacket and tabulates on the latter the number of exposed roentgenograms available on the particular case as these are deposited in the work jacket. When the number of roentgenograms in the work jacket equals the number of roentgenograms requested, the case is complete and is ready for the next sequence of operations. If the regular (permanent) jacket is in the file, then both it and the work jacket are placed in the middle bin under the same number sequence.