Dear AuntMinnieEurope Member,
A new report issued this week by regional health authorities in Northern Ireland indicates that delays in reporting chest x-ray studies may have led to at least two patient deaths.
The report was commissioned following revelations last year that there were delays in reporting thousands of x-ray exams at two hospitals in Northern Ireland. The report identified at least four cases of missed pathology, which likely resulted in the deaths of the two patients.
The document should be required reading for any facility concerned about rapid and effective reporting, especially those using digital technologies: Authorities found the adoption of computed radiography (CR) and PACS contributed to the delays by leading to higher procedure volumes that the hospitals weren't able to handle.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit our Digital X-Ray Community.
Radiologists in Iraq have faced huge difficulties over the past decade, including continual equipment shortages, isolation from colleagues overseas, and even death threats and assassination attempts. But the worst seems to be behind them, and now they're relishing the prospect of a brighter future.
Rebuilding the education and training system lies at the heart of Iraqis' efforts to turn things around, and they're looking to Europe for support. To read more, click here.
PACS implementation and usage levels in France are embarrassingly low, but decision-makers in Paris are determined to do something about the situation. Visit our PACS Digital Community or get the story here.
PET has developed a central role in the early assessment of promising new therapies, and a multinational team of researchers has scrutinized the technique's effectiveness for measuring tumor vascularity. For the details, go to our Molecular Imaging Digital Community, or click here.
Two weeks ago, the former head of radiology at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), Dr. Christine Hall, claimed GOSH has withdrawn from essential child protection work since the death of Baby P (Peter Connelly) in 2008. GOSH still has an international reputation for excellence in pediatric care, however. One of its senior radiographers, along with radiologist Dr. Cathy Owens, has given practical tips on pediatric CT chest examinations. Find out more in our CT Digital Community, or click here.
Pediatric CT also features in a new survey by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Vienna-based agency studied CT use in 40 developing countries from 2007 to 2009, and found that guidelines were not followed in four out of seven clinical situations. Learn more here.
Teleradiology can aid in out-of-hours coverage, service in remote areas, and subspecialty or expert reading, but sending mammograms can cause problems due to technical limitations. Austrian researchers have found that uncompressed digital mammograms can be transmitted to different institutions with different workstations, without loss of information. Visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community, or click here.
