C&C DHB goes filmless

6 July 2007

Media Release

C&C DHB goes filmless

Many hours spent looking for archived x-rays, printing out reams of films and traipsing printed images around three sites have come to an end for C&C DHB staff and patients.

The full implementation of the Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS) means all scans from now on (with the exception of two specific types of images) are now only available electronically, with traditional films no longer being printed.

The system captures images – such as x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans and Ultrasounds – in an electronic digital format and holds them in a central, secure digital archive.

Not only does it save clinicians time and improve information sharing, it will also save the DHB money in the form of reduced storage costs for hard copy images. Printed films have to be kept in a storage facility off-site.

The benefits of the new filmless system are many, including:

- Doctors can view the images from any computer – on or off-site – when they log into a secure authorised access system.

- It improves the turn-around time from radiology back to the referring doctor, speeding up diagnosis and improving patient care.

- It enables doctors to share information and get additional input from other experts – images can be viewed by more than one person at a time, allowing for a simultaneous, “real-time” consultation.

- X-ray and scan images won’t get delayed or lost.

Wellington Hospital Endocrinologist Dr Robyn Toomath said she had already found the technology useful and of benefit to patients.

“I was worried about a sick patient of mine over the weekend. We had planned to order another
x-ray to check his progress, so I logged on to my lap-top on the kitchen bench and was able to look at his x-ray and compare it with previous images, without leaving home,” Dr Toomath said.

C&C DHB, RIS/PACS Project Clinical Sponsor and Radiologist, Dr Jean Murdoch, said staff in the Radiology Department and around the hospital sites had found the system to be a great improvement.

“The biggest thing is the turnaround time for patients. Because we now don’t need to print the film, manually handle each image and ensure it gets back to the doctor and patient, it really speeds things up and a diagnosis may be obtained much quicker. And of course, no images can get lost in transit,” Dr Murdoch said.

Areas such as the Emergency Department have also found PACS to be excellent when trying to ascertain what is wrong with a patient so they can be treated as quickly as possible in the most appropriate way. Staff had found it very useful to be able to view images from any work station and have several people in different departments looking at images simultaneously.

C&C DHB’s implementation of the PACS project is part of a regional plan that will ultimately include other DHBs – Hutt Valley, Wanganui, and MidCentral. However, any hospital with a PACS should be able to transfer and share medical images electronically once concerns around access and privacy issues are resolved.

ENDS