Radiology has long sought to develop networking solutions that support the easy and widespread transmission of images. However, setting up networks with separate access to PACS has proven challenging, says a new white paper from Carestream.
Until the enterprise access viewer came along, that is. The need for software and hardware dedicated to image transmission and processing has historically only served to slow down the retrieval and display process, claims the report. Moreover, the additional effort and time expended by the physician has helped reduce efficiency and productivity.
The enterprise viewer, meanwhile, can serve as an intermediary between the PACS, the clinical repository and the EHR, providing an ‘electronic bridge’ and affording referring clinicians convenient access to all of their patients clinical images.
“The most crucial aspect of every radiology diagnostic report is the image,” states the Enterprise Access Viewer: Connecting technologies, physicians and patients report. “Yet referring physicians and other clinicians typically see only words – the written reports and conclusions dictated by radiologists.”
“The cornerstone of value-based imaging is technology that provides broad access to patient reports and images, enhancing communications among physicians and with the patient while protecting patient data. This is the role of the enterprise viewer,” states the October 2016 report.
To fulfil its potential, the authors say, “The viewer must have a sophisticated design to enhance physician access to all diagnostic images. The viewer must provide side-by-side comparison of DECOM images as well as other clinical data such as JEPG photos, videos, ECGs an scanned PDF clinical documents.
It should also be easy to embed in an EHR to provide access to reports and images alongside the patients other medical information – without requiring the user to open a new application and leave the medical record.
The improved communications that the viewer facilitates could be especially beneficial on emergency medicine, says the report. IT could also prove valuable in rural medical settings, where primary care physicians often need to consult with specialists who are out of the area.
Read more about how the enterprise viewer can help your healthcare organisation – download the white paper here
