Logo

Log In Sign Up |  An official publication of: American College of Emergency Physicians
Navigation
  • Home
  • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Clinical
    • Airway Managment
    • Case Reports
    • Critical Care
    • Guidelines
    • Imaging & Ultrasound
    • Pain & Palliative Care
    • Pediatrics
    • Resuscitation
    • Trauma & Injury
  • Resource Centers
    • mTBI Resource Center
  • Career
    • Practice Management
      • Benchmarking
      • Reimbursement & Coding
      • Care Team
      • Legal
      • Operations
      • Quality & Safety
    • Awards
    • Certification
    • Compensation
    • Early Career
    • Education
    • Leadership
    • Profiles
    • Retirement
    • Work-Life Balance
  • Columns
    • ACEP4U
    • Airway
    • Benchmarking
    • Brief19
    • By the Numbers
    • Coding Wizard
    • EM Cases
    • End of the Rainbow
    • Equity Equation
    • FACEPs in the Crowd
    • Forensic Facts
    • From the College
    • Images in EM
    • Kids Korner
    • Medicolegal Mind
    • Opinion
      • Break Room
      • New Spin
      • Pro-Con
    • Pearls From EM Literature
    • Policy Rx
    • Practice Changers
    • Problem Solvers
    • Residency Spotlight
    • Resident Voice
    • Skeptics’ Guide to Emergency Medicine
    • Sound Advice
    • Special OPs
    • Toxicology Q&A
    • WorldTravelERs
  • Resources
    • ACEP.org
    • ACEP Knowledge Quiz
    • Issue Archives
    • CME Now
    • Annual Scientific Assembly
      • ACEP14
      • ACEP15
      • ACEP16
      • ACEP17
      • ACEP18
      • ACEP19
    • Annals of Emergency Medicine
    • JACEP Open
    • Emergency Medicine Foundation
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Medical Editor in Chief
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Awards
    • Authors
    • Article Submission
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright Information

Become an Expert in X-Ray Interpretation

By Karen Appold | on September 30, 2018 | 0 Comment
ACEP18
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version
Don’t Blink: Plain Film Diagnoses You Cannot Afford to Miss
Monday, Oct. 1
8–8:50 a.m.
SDCC, Room 33A

Despite advanced diagnostic imaging methods such as computed tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound, X-rays still comprise a whopping two-thirds of the emergency department’s imaging volume.

You Might Also Like
  • Five Tips for X-Ray Interpretation
  • Myths in Emergency Medicine: Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiograms as Imaging Standard, and Radiographs for Pelvic Trauma
  • Spot Easy-to-Miss Radiographic Clues
Explore This Issue
ACEP18 Monday Daily News

“X-rays can provide actionable information to help manage patients, so emergency physicians should be experts in X-ray interpretation,” said Daniel Kim, MD, FRCPC, ultrasound fellowship director at the University of British Columbia and attending emergency physician at Vancouver General Hospital, both in Vancouver. “X-rays are frequently used because, compared to other imaging methods, they can be taken and read quickly, are often ordered by lower level providers as part of standard order sets, and cost a lot less.”

Most often, emergency physicians are the first to interpret plain films in order to make a diagnosis, prescribe treatment, or determine if more tests are needed. “We can’t always depend on radiologists to interpret films in real time, especially outside of normal business hours when most emergency physicians work,” said Dr. Kim, who will present “Don’t Blink: Plain Film Diagnoses You Cannot Afford to Miss.” “Occasionally, an emergency physician can make a deadly diagnosis based on plain film radiography alone.”

Dr. Kim’s lecture will provide fundamental principles to improve a physician’s X-ray interpretation skills. He will also review five life-threatening radiographic diagnoses that are easily missed on initial assessment.

“Emergency physicians need to be vigilant about maintaining their X-ray interpretation skills; this ability can depreciate over time if they depend on radiology to read them,” Dr. Kim said.


Karen Appold is a journalist based in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Topics: ACEPACEP18American College of Emergency PhysiciansAnnual Scientific AssemblyEducationEmergency DepartmentEmergency MedicineHot SessionImaging and UltrasoundPatient CareX-Ray

Related

  • Dr. Joe Sachs and “The Pitt” Redefine Public Health Education Through Storytelling

    July 3, 2025 - 0 Comment
  • EM Runs in the Family

    February 26, 2025 - 0 Comment
  • Reader Responds: Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter in Medical Education

    October 9, 2024 - 0 Comment

Current Issue

ACEP Now: July 2025

Download PDF

Read More

About the Author

Karen Appold

Karen Appold is a seasoned writer and editor, with more than 20 years of editorial experience and started Write Now Services in 2003. Her scope of work includes writing, editing, and proofreading scholarly peer-reviewed journal content, consumer articles, white papers, and company reports for a variety of medical organizations, businesses, and media. Karen, who holds a BA in English from Penn State University, resides in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

View this author's posts »

No Responses to “Become an Expert in X-Ray Interpretation”

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*
*

Wiley
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 2333-2603