| Digitalisation of radiological and non-radiological medical imagery in Catalonia has grown substantially in the last three years. According to the ICT Survey of the Map of Tendencies 2011, a Fundació TicSalut initiative, from the 58% of radiological studies stored in PACS in 2008, today 100% are saved. Specifically, 94% of the institutions of SISCAT, the Integrated Health System of the Network of Public Use of Catalonia, assure that they no longer print out x-rays. This tendency is motivated by the Medical Imagery Digitalisation Plan, driven by the Catalan Health Department and by the investments of the institutions in the digitalisation process. |
Catalan radiologists and doctors say that they consult the
images of diagnostic tests in digital format from their
workstations, without any need to print them. More
specifically, 96% of the professionals of the 139 institutions that
took part in the ICT Survey, as part of the Fundació TicSalut
Map of Tendencies 2011, view them in digital
format, and 97% say that they use a work list.
The efforts being made in Catalonia regarding
non-radiological medical imagery digitalisation have also
been seen. This is a process of great interest to hospitals. Once
the medical records, videos and photographs have been digitalised,
it will be possible to push forward telemedicine, teleassistance
and the networks of professionals around the country.
At the present time, 100% of the 7.5 million radiological
tests carried out each year have already been digitalised
in the centres of the public assistance network in Catalonia,
almost one annual test for each Catalan citizen. In fact,
radiological PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) is
becoming a global repository of all medical images
in order to allow assistance professionals to gain access from the
medical records of the centres and of the shared medical record in Catalonia (HC3).
At the present time, the images most widely digitalised and stored
in PACS in Catalonia are electrocardiograms, OTC (Optical
Tomography Coherence), non-radiological ultrasound tests and
Otorhinolaryngology ORL. Bronchoscopies, spirometries and eco
dopplers are digitalised in the centres in Catalonia but are not
saved in PACS. The digitalisation culture is therefore
spreading in Catalonia, something shown by the fact that
79% of SISCAT health providing institutions consider certain
technical requirements regarding interoperability when they
purchase these electromedical apparatuses.
The Office of standards and interoperability of
the Fundació TicSalut and the Tecnocampus de
Mataró support the health-care centres in the process
of digitalising medical images through a centre of integration
competencies. The data of the Map of Tendencies 2011 therefore
show that the technology is mature enough for health
institutions in Catalonia to be able to take an important step
forward in terms of digital devices, PACS and well-defined
healthcare processes.
Further information
- 5th edition of the Map of Tendencies of the Fundació TicSalut (December 2011).
- Medical imagery digitalisation. TicSalut, Canal Salut.
