ABSTRACT
Objectives: Digital eye strain (DES) or computer vision syndrome is a term used to describe a constellation ofvisual problems arising from prolonged digital screen exposure. Radiologists have long been vulnerable to thisoccupational hazard given the extended hours spent behind digital screens reviewing images. Given that excellentvisual acuity is perhaps the most important requirement a nuclear physician must possess in order to effectivelyanalyze images, it is important to shed light on this growing health concern, particularly during the COVID-19pandemic. Methods: During the COVID-19 pandemic imaging became even more crucial in diagnosing and managing clinicalconditions. Due to the high risk of exposure, shortages in personal-protective equipment and increasing healthcareburnout, the amount of time providers spent obtaining histories and examining patients decreased significantly.Consequently, imaging became central in helping clinicians in reaching diagnoses and tailoring patient treatmentplans accordingly. In 2020, imaging in the emergency department setting increased to 42% from 39% in 2019, whereas inpatient imaging increased from 24% to 33% in 2020. The unpredictability of the COVID disease courseresulted in more emergent imaging being ordered by clinicians, which put additional strain on radiologists toincrease turnaround time to help provide answers. Results: There has also been a shift towards Teleradiology during the COVID-19 pandemic with more nuclearmedicine physicians and radiologists working remotely or from home. Although telemedicine has helped decreaserisk of COVID 19 exposure, it has resulted in fewer in person interactions with consultants, as well as with radiologyresidents at academic institutions. Conclusions: Utilizing videoconferencing services has become the new norm and has resulted in increased digitalscreen time. During these unprecedented times, nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists should be morecognizant of DES and focus on measures to help mitigate its potential long-term effects such as by taking frequentbreaks, using appropriate lighting, adjusting image settings and utilizing artificial tears.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Empathy is the capacity of an individual to understand and share the feelings, emotions, or experiencesof another person and to observe that person's perspective. In a professional setting, particularly in health caredepartments during the COVID-19 pandemic, empathy becomes a necessary tool in the care of patients. During theCOVID-19 pandemic, a new wave of stress, anxiety and fear has been experienced by all patients, which posesnew challenges for health care professionals who work closely with patients on a daily basis. Here, we discuss theimportance of empathy training of nuclear medicine technologists, and how we can better improve the experienceand care of our patients through methods which implement empathy in the nuclear medicine department. Methods: There are three components of empathy: cognitive, affective and behavioral. Cognitive refers to the abilityto view the perspective of others;in other words, putting oneself in another's shoes. The affective component refers to experiencing the feelings of others. The behavioral component involves communication to reflect understandingof another's feelings;therefore, it must be perceived that one person understands another in a meaningful way. Inempathy training, not all components are necessary to master in order to express empathy. Empathy can still beexperienced by patients even if only one of the components are met. Empathy training is effective and can beenhanced through didactic training and experiential techniques, whereby the student gains insight and educationabout empathy through lectures on empathy theories, followed by experience, whether simulated or in the form of agame. Skill training is another effective method, whereby students are given a list of skills to learn, the skills aremodeled for the students, and finally the students practice performing such skills. Results: Nuclear medicine technologists should actively practice empathy in the workplace, which involves theaction of active listening, framing, reflecting back to the patient, identifying emotions, and looking for feedback.Patients who interact with empathetic medical professionals feel understood, respected, and validated. Thispromotes patient satisfaction, enhances the quantity and quality of clinical data, improves adherence, and fostersbetter relationships. Conclusions: Empathy training is an essential and necessary component to the training ofhealth care professionals, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients are scared and anxious, and usingempathy training to our advantage may help alleviate these fears in our patients during such a difficult time. Byimplementing empathy training techniques, technologists will be better able to make patients comfortable and lessenfears during imaging.