Doctors get
X-rays on the web
BBC
Health News
Monday, 16 October, 2000, 11:26 GMT
12:26 UK
A
leading British hospital has introduced internet
technology that could revolutionize the way patients are
diagnosed and treated. The system installed by Guy's and
St Thomas' Hospital in London will enable doctors to
view X-rays and scans on the web.
Ultimately, it should mean that in an
emergency on-call consultants will be able to view
images using their laptops or personal computers.
This will enable them to give an
instant diagnosis without the need to travel in to the
hospital. It will also allow doctors to seek the
opinions of other experts around the world.
The system can also be used to make
images and medical reports available to GPs and
referring clinics. It should cut the time between
initial examination and diagnosis, reducing waiting
times before treatment.
And it is also intended to make the
process more efficient and less stressful for clinicians
and patients.
Improved efficiency
To ensure the system, which has been
developed by Kodak, remains secure, doctors will only be
able to access it by giving a password.
Dr Lesley MacDonald, the hospital's
clinical director of radiology, told the BBC:
"Digital picture archiving is already common
practice, but you need to look at it on a work station
which is expensive.
"The idea of this web-enabled
software is to send the images through ordinary PCs and
laptops.
"We are really surprised at how
keen some of the clinicians are to use this."
Leonie Paskin, manager of Radiology
Services at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, said the
simultaneous availability of images in multiple
locations would vastly improve efficiency and workflow.
"Electronic retrieval of medical
images will lead to a much more streamlined system than
is currently the case with conventional hard-copy
film."
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