Careers in healthcare are rarely referred to as low-stress occupations. This is particularly true in radiology, where heavy case volumes and poor workflow can lead to high rates of burnout. And the stress extends to patients and caregivers, trying to make sense of complex medical records. Can medical imaging technology offer radiology professionals and other caregivers a means to manage stress?
Thanks to technology that allows for quick and easy access to patient portals, patients today have more information at their fingertips than ever, and it is helping them to become more involved in their healthcare. The challenge is that there is often a group of people who have to not only manage their own healthcare, but they are also managing their children and their senior parents’ healthcare.
This can be a stressful situation made worse by workflow issues that bottleneck imaging results. And it’s not just the patients and caregivers that can feel the heavy weight – healthcare workers are also prone to stress when things aren’t running optimally.
Image Sharing Problems
One issue that can be the source of frustration is the inability to efficiently share medical images and related data. This has been an ongoing issue for providers who are still using outdated technology, such as CD-burners. Even those who are utilizing their PACS and viewers can still face challenges in regard to bottlenecks. The proprietary snags that befall these systems can be frustrating for the patient and caregivers.
According to the AARP, 53 million adults in the U.S. have had to provide care to an adult or child with needs within the last 12 months. Also, roughly 24% of Americans are in charge of caring for more than one person. It’s because of stats like these that healthcare providers need to focus on technology that can make the caregiver’s responsibilities less stressful.
Cloud-Based Care
With so many critical applications running in the cloud, it’s no surprise that the healthcare industry has followed suit. Telehealth solutions, such as teleradiology and cloud PACS, have made gaining access to medical imaging so much easier with the development of cloud-based solutions.
Consider how many Americans today seek the help of multiple doctors and specialists and how each of these professionals likely has an interest in medical imaging related to their patients. And then consider how someone in charge of that imaging has yet to step up and adopt technology that makes it easier to share these images – it can lead to frustration across the board.
Fortunately, OffSite Image Management has developed cloud-based technologies that make the medical imaging sharing process easy and accessible. Our approach involves vendor-neutral archiving, which makes viewing images possible outside of the traditional viewing station. In fact, our clients can view images from anywhere. Find out more about our approach to easing the stress of caregivers and healthcare workers by contacting us today.
