Out of Hours Photography

To familiarize the medical team with the use of photography out of hours, its storage and maintaining confidentiality.

Aims

To standardise and optimise the process of medical photography out-of-hours when medical illustration team is not available.

Background and indications for standard operating procedure/protocol

To familiarise the on-call team with the process of out of hours photography with ward camera, in particular for child protection photographs (but relevant for all images taken, e.g. haemangioma, etc). Medical Illustration should be used for all images required in normal working hours, including Intimate Images.

Procedure method (step by step)

CONSENT

1. Written Consent: tick for medical records and request use of images for teaching/publication as relevant.
2. Keep consent with medical records.
3. Photocopy for family if requested.

TAKING PICTURES

1. Maximise lighting with curtains open to windows if possible and overhead lights
2. Use plain green/blue background sheet if possible, or bed sheet if nothing else
3. Picture 1 is always photograph of consent then
4. Later pictures of marks/lesions/injuries
5. Take a distance shot to show where mark is in relation to whole ie so is obvious is left arm/leg/abdomen/back etc
6. Take close up photograph - if very close up then turn button to flower on camera
7. Repeat photograph with tape measures in situ ideally held at 90 degrees to each other
8. If mark crosses angles, ie the curve of an arm, take different angles.
9. Repeat process for all photographs.
10. Last picture is always photograph of consent form again.

WHAT TO DO WITH IMAGES

1. Connect camera to ward computer.
2. Download to desk top.
3. Once images have been taken take the SD card and a copy of the consent (or handover to a daytime colleague) to medical illustration on A floor clarendon wing where they will be downloaded and the card returned (or swapped for another card)
4. Return card to camera which should be safely stored away