What is Teleradiology and how it is helpful for Radiologist (Updated)

The idea of communicating via the wire transmission was first introduced for the telephone almost one and half-century ago. Since that time, the same technique has been applied and been instrumental in telemedicine’s evolution, which is the practice of using doctors that are not in the same place as the patient.

According to a nationally representative survey, Telemedicine Technology is most used by the Radiology for patient interactions than any other medical specialty. Radiologists need to balance their time between seeing patients and consulting with other medical professionals and Telemedicine software and tools made that possible.

By doing telemedicine practices, radiologists can do much work through HD video and high-quality audio. For the busy radiologist in the digital age, telemedicine is more than just a fad. The number of patients & professionals are jumping on the bandwagon and reaping the benefits of real-time consults with telemedicine tools.

Teleradiology relies on static images which are obtained from diagnostic imaging departments. To do this task the patient herself is not required to be present there, For example, in such cases complicated ultrasound scans or biopsies. With telemedicine, however, a proper medical assessment is not possible without a hands-on clinical evaluation of the patient.

Read Also: The Complete Guide Of Telemedicine

As a result, using telemedicine as a convenience measure risks compromises the quality and safety of patient care, and driving up costs due to clinical errors resulting from gaps in important clinical information that can only be obtained from a traditional patient history and physical examination.

History of Teleradiology

The history of eleradiology is almost half a century long. It has played a significant role in the formation of the entire telemedicine sector. The idea of using wire transmission to communicate was first introduced for the telephone nearly 150 years ago. The same technique has been used and is instrumental in Telemedicine’s evolution. This is the practice where doctors are located far away from the patient. The Queen Mary, an ocean liner, used the ship’s marine radiotelephone for medical consultations in the 1930s. An onboard doctor would consult with external sources and then act as a consultant to individuals aboard other ships in need of medical attention

In the 1960s and 1970s there was a lot of experimentation and research to improve broadcast television and closed-circuit transmissions of medical images captured by xrays. The images were generally related to radiology, dermatology, and pathology. A breakthrough was made when Dr. Kenneth Bird, Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital, was able to install an interactive television system that connected Logan Airport to the hospital. This could be used to provide medical care for travelers.

Walter Redd General Hospital in Washington D.C. had a similar situation. A closed circuit television was used to establish a link between the radiology and emergency rooms. The transmission process in the early days was slow. You could only share one image at once and the contrast and resolution were low, making it more of an exhibit than a practical tool for hospitals. Teleradiology was rejected by most healthcare centers in the early days of telehealth because it required high maintenance and operating costs.

Teleradiology in the 1980s was primarily printed copies sent to the radioologist. He would then record a report onto a cassette tape. The tape would be sent to the original facility, where it would be transcribed into a paper report. The turnaround time for these studies would be days, sometimes even weeks. This would be fine for routine studies, but not in emergency situations.

While some modalities (MRIs, CTs, X-ray machines) produce films or digital images that can be scanned into a new digital image, it was difficult to display the digital copies on other machines. In 1983, the American College of Radiology and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association created an open standard that allows medical images to digitally store. Although the ACR/NEMA 300 standard had its limitations, it was not adopted by all manufacturers.

Why Use Teleradiology?

As a radiologist, you are the lead professional of the team. You often take up a vast amount of time to consult with other professionals, usually through the phone.

• In radiology department, with telemedicine, you can provide your services to other physicians, hospital staff, rehab facilities and nursing homes, radiologist’s groups, and patients, all from the comfort of your office.
• Radiologists require X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other diagnostic imaging services as quickly as possible for their patients which require the trained eye of the radiologist to accomplish.
• Using special tools, you can interpret images and scans, providing your expertise without being physically present in the hospital, clinic, mobile radiology clinic, or other location that generated the image.
• Telemedicine made possible to provide medical services without being in the patient’s location and that improves the patient experience and patient care.
• It also makes it possible for patient to consult with a specialist – such as a neuro-radiologist or a pediatric radiologist – for real-time consultation that’s streamlined and efficient for both parties and that speeds up patient diagnosis and the start of a treatment plan. Patients who need to consult with you after a scan or X-ray can also do so from their remote locations without the need to travel to your office or wait in your reception area.
• Faster response and turnaround allows teleradiology vendors to improve the speed of treatment and quality of care.

• For emergency treatment, teleradiology can improve the amount of time spent under costly ER care. While teleradiology cuts costs for hospitals, it should be noted that it also cuts costs for patients and payers.
• Teleradiology can also be used as an educational device with case presentations provided by educational centers for groups of clinical radiologists or individuals in their own hospitals. This is especially significant for continuing education for rural health practitioners, who may not be able to leave a practice to take part in professional educational meetings.
• There is immense pressure on radiologists, given the huge volume of images being produced worldwide combined with the shortage of radiologists. Teleradiology has become a financially advantageous approach to solving these issues. The technology has led to reduced workload on radiologists, faster turn-around time for patients, and cost savings for hospitals who find that teleradiology presents an attractive alternative to having radiologists available twenty-four hours a day.