“We see a growing trend towards radiologists reading outside the hospital. Hospitals outsourcing radiology imaging, the expansion of teleradiology and the demands for better work-life balance for radiologists are fueling this trend,” says Mick Grover, Product Manager at Barco. “However, this kind of evolution doesn’t come without challenges. Think of security and patient privacy when medical images are shared outside the hospital, possible quality and compliance issues, and the level of performance that is required to efficiently run medical applications.”
Barco’s remote radiology reading solution tackles all of these challenges. It consists of an eGFX graphics box and Thunderbolt™ 3 connector which can drive any high-resolution display used for medical applications. “All radiologists need to do is bring their laptop and connect it to the graphics box which resides between the laptop and the medical displays. No need to transfer a bulky desktop from the hospital to the home office,” Mick continues. “From now on, radiologists have a fully mobile workstation that offers dependable image quality and consistent workflow, wherever you work.”
The flexible eGFX graphics box includes a high-performance Barco MXRT display controller to drive the most demanding medical applications. This means that radiologists have access to Barco’s clinical workflow tools, even from home, which have become indispensable in the radiologist toolbox today. With SpotView™, for example, radiologists can increase their reading accuracy by 6% while reading studies faster (16% time reduction).1
Hospital consolidation and the rise of remote imaging results in more medical workstations that need to be managed. In a 2017 survey among healthcare IT staff, 78% of Quality managers claim they struggle to manage workstations across multiple locations. 68% say workstations used for home reading are particularly challenging to control.
That’s why Barco’s remote reading solution includes access to QAWeb, a renowned online service for automated QA and calibration of medical displays. This means Quality managers are able to automate compliance as well as quality assurance of every remote workstation. They can even track and report on these from anywhere. What’s more, validated and tested configurations will help QC staff to configure and support remote workstations in no time.
Needless to say, being able to work from home means radiologists can avoid unnecessary commutes, which helps reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.
The healthcare industry, and more specifically the radiology market, is a highly competitive one. It is projected that by 2025 there will be a national shortage of radiologists in the U.S. to the order of tens of thousands of positions.3 In order to help radiologists work more efficiently, ensure optimal working conditions and a flexible work schedule, remote reading can offer a viable solution.
It’s exactly why home reading is becoming a standard benefit in radiology hiring today. Barco offers a unique solution that equips the up-and-coming, extremely tech-savvy and sustainability-conscious generation of radiologists with everything they need to make confident diagnostic decisions, from anywhere.
