Diagnostic Radiology
Medical Specialties
The Diagnostic Radiology Department plays a vital role in patient care. Over the last decade, the department has steadily grown and improved. The hospital’s first CT scanner was installed in 2011, ushering in a new era at Tenwek. The following year, a long-range radiology development plan (A.R.T. – Advancing Radiology at Tenwek) was launched to purchase new equipment and remodel the department.
Since 2012, over $750,000 has been raised to replace or upgrade Radiography, Ultrasound, and CT equipment – transforming the department. A new 64 Channel Siemens CT was added in 2019 and new GE P9 Ultrasound machines in 2024.
A coalition of over 100 U.S. and Canadian radiologists also has developed to provide financial support and to staff the department through a combination of on-site and teleradiology services.
Daily Responsibilities of a Visiting Radiologist
Tenwek does not have a full-time radiologist on staff, which heightens the impact of on-site volunteer radiologists. Over the last twelve years, over 40 different Christian radiologists have served on-site at Tenwek for periods of two to seven weeks. Volunteering to serve at Tenwek is a deeply gratifying and humbling experience. You have an opportunity to make a very tangible impact with your skills and knowledge – both in direct patient care and in teaching Kenyan medical staff.
The radiologist’s primary clinical responsibilities include daily reporting of CT scans as well as providing consultations for ultrasounds and plain radiographs. There are also opportunities to perform non-vascular interventional procedures if it is within the individual radiologist’s scope of practice and interests. Encouraging and teaching the Xray staff, particularly in CT and Ultrasound, is welcomed and very gratifying.
Educating Kenyan Christian medical professionals is an important goal at Tenwek, in which visiting radiologists participate. Tenwek has residency programs in General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Family Practice and OB/GYN. There are also Fellowship training programs in Neurosurgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery. Family Medicine residents from Tenwek and three other Kenyan mission hospitals perform their mandatory radiology elective at Tenwek. Under the guidance of one of our visiting radiologists, these residents learn the basic tenets of imaging during their three week rotation. Twenty medical “interns” spend their first year of practice working/learning at Tenwek and visiting radiologists play a role in their training through consultations on imaging studies of their patients. Additionally, four Radiology Technologist students spend three to four months at Tenwek as a part of their “Clinical Attachment” each year.
Department Staff
There are approximately 14 Radiology Technologists, one receptionist and an assistant/janitorial staff member. There are lead and dedicated techs in Ultrasound and CT. Providing encouragement and on-going education for the Radiology Techs, especially in Ultrasound and CT, are both fun and important aspects of serving on-site at Tenwek. The staff in radiology and throughout the hospital are welcoming, engaging and willing to help.
English is used for all medical records and interactions at the hospital with doctors and staff. Approximately 25-40% of patients speak English and all speak Swahili (Kenya’s national language) as well as one of the many tribal dialects found in Kenya.
PACS
Imaging at Tenwek is entirely digital. In 2024 Tenwek’s long standing “Clear Canvas” PACS was replaced with a new cloud based system. There is a dedicated “radiologist” office with twin viewing monitors and reports are generated through our Powerscribe One program and automatically populate into Tenwek’s HMIS (Hospedia).
Pictured: Elisha Rono, Tenwek’s Radiology IT guru, sits at the radiologist work station.
Radiology Equipment
CT Scanner
The new CT brings CTA capability to Tenwek. This A-com aneurysm was operated on by Tenwek Neurosurgeon Will Copeland.
64 Channel Siemens Go Up CT – fully operational in January 2019 providing outstanding image quality. The patients CT images are automatically uploaded into Stratus, which is our teleradiology viewing program as well as the cloud based PACS system that was implemented at Tenwek in 2024.
The new CT brings CTA capability to Tenwek. This A-com aneurysm was operated on by Tenwek Neurosurgeon Will Copeland.
A sample of images from the new CT and types of pathology seen at Tenwek can be seen here.
(This teaching file was assembled by Dr. Michael Hartung at University of Wisconsin).
Ultrasound
In 2023 funds were raised to help Tenwek purchase two GE P9 cart sized ultrasound machines bringing new capabilities to the Sonography Department, including transrectal prostate scanning. Another GE P9 will be purchased in-country in 2024. Our three older Sonosite Turbos will be used for portable bedside exams and back up. Tenwek sonographers perform 50-70 scans per day and see an amazing array of pathology.
Plain Radiography
- Two Quantum Xray machines in the main Radiology Department.
- Del Medical digital Xray machine at Bomet outpatient clinic
- New Del Medical OTC Xray machine in Tenwek’s new ER (Casualty) 2024
- 2 AMX portable radiography machines and 1 C-Arm for Surgery, OB/GYN
Pictured: Lead sonographer Joyce Langat uses one of the new GE P9 Ultrasound machines which were purchased in country through GE Kenya.
USA-Based Teleradiology
We encourage radiologists to serve on-site at Tenwek because of the impact you can make with your presence and how you will be impacted by the experience of living and working among the Christian community there.
However, when there is no radiologist on site, “teams” of 8-10 radiologists based in the USA, Canada and Europe interpret the CT scans daily for a one-week time block. This is done through an image sharing company named Stratus. Scans are easily viewed in any major internet browser and reports are generated through Powerscribe One. The reports automatically populate into the Tenwek HMIS providing the medical staff with timely and greatly appreciated feedback that has a tangible impact on daily care.
We have over 60 Christian radiologists who volunteer their time to provide this indispensable service and we are always seeking others to join our efforts. If you are interested in helping on one of our teleradiology teams please contact: Stan Cheng who is our teleradiology coordinator for Tenwek. He can be reached at: schengsd@gmail.com.
Serve at Tenwek Hospital
Learn more about serving at Tenwek Hospital