A reflection on the role of an emergency care Consultant Radiographer in achieving appropriate imaging conditions for nasogastric tube positioning

The College of Radiographers state that the role of a Consultant Radiographer comprises four core functions [College of Radiographers. Developing a business case for consultant radiographers. London: College of Radiographers; 2003; Hardy M, Snaith B. How to achieve consultant practitioner status: a discussion paper. Radiography, in press. doi:10.1016/j.radi.2006.04.003 [accessed 16.08.07]]. The following reflective case study attempts to illustrate the value of these functions for improving patient care and service delivery.The project has made positive changes to the way practice, for patients requiring feeding tubes, is being undertaken.The emphasis is on reflection and the case study also shows how an action research approach can be used to tackle practice-based problems [Schön Donald. The reflective practitioner. New York: Basic Books; 1983] and that the consultant practitioner is ideally placed to take advantage of the collaborative working opportunities fundamental to action research.