Digital technology has transformed unsustainable healthcare systems into sustainable ones, boosting medical specialists’ and patients’ relationships. What’s more, it has enabled the healthcare centers to discharge faster and cheaper services. However, technological advancements can sometimes be confusing.
In truth, the primary difference between conventional radiology and teleradiology is that the radiologist is always on-site. The pictures are taken in one region in teleradiology and later sent to a radiologist for analysis through electronic transmission.
For starters, the lack of a viable image handling system slowed the adoption approach at the beginning. But, teleradiology enabled accessibility through data collection and transmission.
Nevertheless, there’s nothing better than comparing teleradiology reliability with conventional radiology so that we can understand the differences to consider.
Documentation
In modern practice, there’s a spike in litigation cases. Thus, a strong emphasis is placed on efficient and effective record-keeping because it is crucial in criminal legal defense and patient care. Teleradiology is more reliable than conventional radiology because it’s paperless and stores captured images in various file formats on a server. In fact, its storage is also quicker and simpler to retrieve for interpretation. In contrast, the conventional way of storing delays time from imaging to reporting during interpretation.
Utilization of Teleradiology for A Second Opinion
In the incident, a second assessment is needed; teleradiology is very handful. Teleradiology is reliable because physicians can share the data between two or more radiologist specialists through various mediums, irrespective of type and volume. Physicians can display the sophisticated medical displays in teleradiology in various formats, facilitating real-life patient examination. In comparison, conventional radiology has a huge number of limitations.
Availability of a Radiologist
A survey conducted showed that 76% of radiologists value communicating with their patients face to face. Half of the surveyees had time to go through radiology results with patients. And 43% preferred a moment to do so.
In any emergency, teleradiology is reliable because even when a radiologist is not physically available, there is no delay in treatment. Even better, virtual support is steadily available. There are radiograph readers, also known as the “Nighthawk,” who work on holidays, weekends, and nights in most instances. Compared to conventional radiology, which may lack radiological support.
The Time Factor
The quantification of radiologist workload in terms of relative value unit (RVU) flow may impact radiology report turnaround during emergency radiology. Teleradiology Solutions raises the stakes in outpatient radiology reporting of all imaging procedures. With teleradiology usage, radiologists can assess higher volumes of radiographs in less time.
For instance, teleradiology has been essential during this COVID pandemic because of the high volume of cases that needed to be interpreted. In comparison, specialists cannot rely on conventional radiology to deliver or manage high volumes in a short time.
Specialist’s Role
Since most experts are mainly concentrated in urban regions, the distance may cause a subject’s treatment delay. With teleradiology, all subspecialties, in particular radiology, are possible. Whenever a specific radiologist is needed, teleradiology aids provide support anytime and from anywhere in the world. In comparison with conventional radiology, access to subspecialties is limited.
Nevertheless, the physical presence of radiologists in procedures like abscesses cannot be ignored, despite most factors favoring teleradiology. Especially during this pandemic, radiologists’ presence is fundamental to providing their service while maintaining a safe distance.
Don’t hesitate to contact Advanced Telemed Services or learn more about our teleradiology solutions.