It is important for radiography students to review old imaging, particularly when working in the level 2 general radiography area. Reviewing old imaging will improve your radiography by

• • • providing you with insights into the original injury
    • providing you with insights into how the follow-up imaging was approached previously (an effective approach can be copied, an ineffective  approach can be avoided)
    • providing evidence of how followup imaging has been performed in the past (is there a common approach?)
    • providing evidence of orthopaedic implants- where are they? what are they? how long are they?
    • Does your imaging answer the clinical question?
    • Are you imaging the same side as previously? (there may be a good reason why you are imaging the contra-lateral side to the injury- beware)

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You should develop a clinical approach to radiography. You should always be able to state what you are doing (e.g. taking an X-ray of the patient's hand) and why you are doing it (e.g. because the patient has had surgery for a base of 5th metacarpal fracture and the surgeon is assessing fragment position, pin position and evidence of healing)