The European Society of Radiology (ESR) has released an update to its white paper on teleradiology.
Developed by the ESR's teleradiology subgroup of the e-Health and Informatics subcommittee, the white paper proposes comprehensive best practice guidelines for the use of teleradiology, focusing on services provided in the European Union. The white paper's main messages include the following:
- Teleradiology describes the provision of radiology services remote from the site where the images are obtained.
- Teleradiology should form part of and be integrated with the wide spectrum of radiology services, and not a separate tradable commodity.
- The quality of radiological reports and services delivered by teleradiology should not be less than those of local radiologists.
- International quality standards for teleradiology need to be established.
- Patients need to be fully informed when teleradiology is used.
The full white paper, which serves as an update to the ESR's previous white paper on teleradiology from 2006, can be accessed here.
