A recent study sheds some light on the inefficiencies that impact many radiologists, and ultimately, the patients that rely on medical imaging to improve their quality of life. Can cloud-based radiology advancements be a step toward improving many aspects that influence medical professionals and their patients?
The University Medical Center Groningen, located in the Netherlands, embarked on a study with three radiologists and found that some clinicians ultimately fail to read second-opinion radiology reports.
The study included nearly 5,000 second-opinion reports from external imaging resources, and 537 went unread by clinicians. Some images, they found, tended to go unread more than others. For example, sonography ranked the highest second-opinion report that went unread, followed by pediatric images and interventional radiology exams.
Rooting Out the Problem
Second-opinion radiology reports help make diagnostic interpretations more accurate. Not only does leaving these reports behind and unread leave patients in a compromised position, it can also represent a loss in money. The study found that one tertiary care center lost $63,000, as well as 130 hours of wasted work, just through allowing these second-opinion reports to go unnoticed.
Most radiologists know that second-onion reports are important to patients, which is why exams of these kinds have gone up from less than 5% in 2003 to nearly 36% in 2016. But when the reports go unread, it’s been found that one of the main reasons is the belief that the information would not provide any useful information about how to care for the patient.
But availability is also a challenge. With so many radiology departments relying on PACS that don’t communicate well across disparate departments, gaining access to the images in question can be a hassle that requires several steps to solve.
Better Access – Better Results
The quality of workflow has to be a consideration in any aspect of the healthcare industry. With cloud-based radiology solutions available today, improving workflow can be as easy as partnering with the right vendor.
Some radiologists are hampered by proprietary viewers, which tie them to a dedicated viewer. Given the increase in remote work, there has to be a remote-work component offered to radiologists, too, especially those on call and in need of more flexibility in how they do their work.
At OffSite Image Management, we provide our clients with top-quality technology that makes a difference in how they work, the ease of access to images and image-related data, and solutions that are available 24/7. Regardless of where you are, what time it is or what kind of image you need to see, we can provide it. A perfect example of our approach to total accessibility is our TeleRAD360 solution. We offer a full suite of solutions that will help you with your workflow. Let us help you improve patient care.
