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We recently had the pleasure of welcoming some of the country's leading radiologists to the offices of Eva Center. We opened a space to hold a session of dialogue and exchange of ideas on the challenges that Mexico faces in the field of radiology and imaging.
We were accompanied by the sector's senior staff: Dr. Luis Felipe Alva from Médica Sur, José Luis Criales Cortes Of CT Scanner Group, Dr. Constantino Contreras Vazquez Of SAN ANGEL INN HOSPITAL, Dr. Laura Patricia García and Dr. Julio César Martinez from Clinical Analysis Dr. Simi.
Here we share some conclusions from the talk.
Current Status Quo Challenges and How to Solve Them
First of all, it is crucial to highlight the fundamental role that technicians play in the clinic, since their performance and frequent work tools are beneficial both for the radiologist and for the referring physician and the patient. This is why it is important to better guide both technicians and supervisors, providing them with context about the purpose of each study and the relevant information associated with the referring physician's request.
In this sense, having technological functionalities within a PACS that strengthen and simplify data capture is a great area of opportunity. In addition, doctors agree on the importance of context when performing and interpreting imaging studies, so it would be useful to have focused reports or captions that indicate the minimum elements that should be reported in a specific study.
On the other hand, one of the current challenges in the practice of radiology are referring doctors. Although specialists usually facilitate the task of reporting, sometimes general practitioners are not very specific in their requests or are dissatisfied with the report received. In this sense, having legends within the system that indicate the scope of the study and the expectations of the diagnosis can help improve the satisfaction of the referring physician and the quality of the service offered.
How to influence a better future with new technologies
In addition, in the administrative area of the sector, templates are useful to help the radiologist to communicate with the RIS, read the medical record and know what is going to be billed, since with these data they can anticipate the patient's needs and provide better care.
What has been achieved so far is still necessary, but which undoubtedly needs to be consolidated: development, accessibility, and growth of radiological doctors and technicians. We must have easy-to-install PACS. Systems people often don't know what development the customer needs and it's important to remember that not all customers have the same needs, nor are they all interested in the same measurements.
In short: the radiologist wastes a lot of time on administrative tasks. By automating all tasks, for example, replacing burners and printers with 100% digital delivery, it will radically facilitate and improve results.
For this, it would be necessary for everyone to join this new practice since there is still a lot of reluctance. Physicians emphasized how digital medicine must ensure information security to mitigate resistance to change.
“If there are no mechanisms to push resistance, the status quo is maintained.”
With good practices in Mexico, very soon, it will be much more feasible to have comprehensive information digitized that gives you access to everything, helps you save time as a doctor and facilitates quality evaluation. By undergoing a service quality audit, for example, we would all be evaluated and this would force us to improve.
