A cloud-enabled AI-based solution that integrates applications in the radiology workflow is one way to streamline data management and realise the concept of ‘radiologists without walls’ - improving efficiency and quality of care.

The shift towards precision health diagnostics is a major driver of the growing demand for data and services. In the radiology department, this pressure is heightened by staff shortages: many radiologists are nearing retirement age but are not being replaced by a new generation.

While these trends make the management of patient care pathways more complex, the challenge is exacerbated by an increase in the number of regional projects and mergers, creating yet more data streams.

A modern clinical viewing platform with enhanced smart workflows and a streamlined architecture would provide imaging departments – and the overall enterprise – with fully integrated data services, while helping to ease the workload for both radiologist and clinician.

Smart collaboration

Radiologists can sharpen their focus on patient care by collaborating with an experienced enterprise imaging partner, who can help them to achieve the benefits of a cloud-enabled flexible hosting approach: increased productivity and efficiency, and guaranteed resource allocation across the department or enterprise. Cross-system access to patient data ensures that the right data will always be available to clinicians at the right time.

A cloud-enabled solution will also help the hospital or department to make more efficient use of its IT resources. While intelligent workflows help the radiology department to reduce reporting times, productivity is also boosted when AI is integrated with the system, improving diagnostic accuracy and boosting productivity.

Cloud benefits

Radiologists are increasingly looking for tools that help them do their job more effectively using few resources,” said David Labajo, VP digital at GE Healthcare Europe. “But many organisations demand easier and quicker ways to deploy new imaging platforms for their radiology departments with less internal IT resources, at a lower cost, and ensuring the maximum levels of security and data protection. Cloud-based tools enable remote and convenient access to the different tools needed with a smaller footprint and long-term cost of ownership.”

GE Healthcare’s recently formed partnership with Amazon Web Solutions (AWS) is turning this vision into reality. Its Edison True PACS includes access to an ecosystem of AI applications that assist the radiologist across the workflow, from worklist prioritisation to clinical presentations. Data is accessible from multiple sources as and when required, helping to cut the amount of time spent on reading and reporting.

In March, the company announced its Edison Digital Health Platform, designed to accelerate applications development and integration by connecting devices, systems and data sources into an aggregated clinical layer. It will allow healthcare providers to deploy the tools they need, supporting the improvement of care delivery while reducing the IT burden that typically comes with installing integrating applications across the enterprise.