Dear Healthcare Informatics Insider,
Developing countries are increasingly acquiring digital imaging modalities such as CT and MRI, but unfortunately they often lack the necessary resources to also implement digital image management. That deficiency can lead to a host of clinical and workflow problems.
Open-source software, however, could be a viable option for hospitals in these environments, according to a Swiss group led by Dr. Osman Ratib of the University Hospital of Geneva. Ratib and colleagues have successfully deployed an open-source imaging informatics platform at a hospital in Bhutan, and the system is now being used daily for interpreting, archiving, and sharing images. Click here for our coverage.
There are many technical challenges involved with image sharing, but potential technical solutions are within reach, according to Dr. Stephen Fenn, a consultant radiologist and radiology lead for IT at Hampshire Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust in the U.K. He shares how image sharing can finally become a reality in a new column for AuntMinnieEurope.com.
Speaking of the U.K., the Royal College of Radiologists has released new guidelines for how nonradiologists can interpret imaging examinations. The publication defines standards and best practices for radiologists, regulatory authorities, hospital managers, and individual doctors regarding medically qualified nonradiologists who wish to interpret imaging examinations, according to Vice President of Clinical Radiology Dr. Richard FitzGerald. Click here to access our coverage.
In other news this month in our Healthcare Informatics Community, Editor-in-Chief Philip Ward reported on how imaging informatics was implemented in the polyclinic at the recently concluded Rio Olympics. Click here for all of the details.
If you have any tips or suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered in the Healthcare Informatics Community, please feel free to drop me a line.
