A hospital radiographer is to be presented with a national award after scoring top marks in an examination which highlights expertise in the use of X-ray scans to diagnose patients with osteoporosis.
Sue Lowther, of the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, has won the 2018 Hilary Noakes Award for outstanding achievement, which is presented by the National Osteoporosis Society to the candidate with the highest overall mark in the examination for Certification in Bone Densitometry.
Bone densitometry, also known at DXA, uses a very low dose of ionizing radiation to produce images of the spine and hip to measure bone density and provides information in diagnosing osteoporosis and assessing fracture risks.
She has been a diagnostic radiographer at the hospital for 15 years.
In order to win the award, she had to score the highest overall examination mark and pass a portfolio on the first attempt. She will be presented with the award at the National Osteoporosis Society conference Osteoporosis 2018 in Birmingham.
Sue has now started a DXA reporting course at the University of Derby to support the Radiology Department going forward. This will enable her to report on the DXA scans to provide the referring clinician with the necessary information to treat patients who are at risk of osteoporotic fractures.
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