"Better Late Than Never": The Utilization of Asynchronous Working Hours in Nuclear Medicine: Improving Quality in Practice

Author Type(s)

Faculty, Resident/Fellow

Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

6-1-2022

Journal Title

Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Department

Radiology

Abstract

Introduction: -To discuss the utilization of asynchronous scheduling and work hours in the field of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology.

-To discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has lead to drastic changes in the way nuclear medicine physicians and staff work

Methods: The COVID-19 pandemic led to drastic changes in how, where, and when people work. The importance of social distancing has resulted in a paradigm shift towards working from home, which destabilized the traditional work day.

Asynchronous work refers to a work model where people on the same team are scheduled to work at different times of the day. Asynchronous work is not new to the field of radiology, since acute reads must be done at all hours of the day and night.

Results: Asynchronous trainee and practitioner scheduling in the radiology has the biggest impact on how and when attending physicians provide feedback to the trainees on their reads. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some institutions were utilizing remote readouts. Benefits of this model included increased trainee autonomy and improved efficiency as fewer interruptions allowed for more reads.

One of the major causes of distraction for radiologists is interrupting phone calls, but with asynchronous work hours, there is an overall decrease in distractions - especially after hours, allowing for greater productivity and higher quality reporting with each study. Asynchronous work hours also allow for an improved work-life balance, as individuals are able to work in the hours that they find most suitable. The disadvantage to this work model includes a perceived decrease in educational discussions, as well as isolation and loss of collegial interactions.

Conclusions: Asynchronous scheduling and work hours are necessary to the field of radiology and offer numerous benefits including increased efficiency and improved work-life balance. Addressing the few drawbacks are essential for optimizing this work model.

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