An essential tenet of using modalities that employ electrical currents and waves is awareness of how they affect other electronic health care devices attached to patients. The most common example of this tenet is avoiding the use of electrical modalities near a pacemaker.
Electrical modalities can cause pacemakers to malfunction or fail. Anyone utilizing electrical modalities knows this fact. It is indisputable. But the example has become trite and worn.
In recent decades, the number of electronic health care devices attached to patients has drastically increased. Modern health care has moved beyond pacemakers as the uniform example:
Pacemakers are regulators. Newer devices may also regulate, but many stimulate (bowel stimulators) intervene (defibrillators), monitor (cardiac monitor), or dose (pain pumps).
Some of the devices are permanently implanted (cardiac defibrillator). Some of the devices are removed and reimplanted (continuous glucose monitors).
Electrical modalities applied with other electronic devices can be relative contraindications. This means making sure they are not applied to the same body region simultaneously.
Applying electrical modalities with other electronic devices can be a frank contraindication. This means ensuring they are not used to the same body region or any combination of body regions simultaneously.
Knowing the differences in relative and frank contraindications in this area of practice is vital to patient safety and clinical effectiveness. Clinicians should take time to familiarize themselves with the topic’s specifics. Understanding the basics of why and how newer electronic devices are applied is also imperative.
Clinicians must do a thorough job of screening for electronic devices. Screening for non-electrical devices should also be performed routinely.
The following questions can be embedded in patient questionnaires, histories, and screening procedures prior to the application of electrical modalities. Their use helps to avoid complications. Signage displaying these questions in areas where electrical modalities are applied is also beneficial.
A final suggestion: clinicians should make efforts to discover how each of the items listed previously affects ordering and reading diagnostic imaging.
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