Latin America. The entry into a new decade brings with it multiple teachings, although 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, in the field of health there were great technological advances that served as a watershed to new routes for medicine that offer alternatives to medical personnel and their patients.
The role of radiology is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic fields in medical practice, because through it the images that serve to provide personalized diagnoses for patients and the streamlining of processes and work mechanics for radiologists are obtained. Knowing the elements of the practices that have been developed so far, will give a first approach to the field of conventional radiology.
Among the trends that are found, the Barco expert lists the following, which will be guiding this sector in the search for greater alternatives to expand its possibilities:
Cases on the rise:
In recent years the number of cases where radiology is used has been increasing, at the same time the need for more accurate diagnoses. The complexity of the cases has also increased, coupled with the fact that the demand for work exceeds the capacity of the radiologists in charge of performing this task.
These situations have triggered two results, the first refers to the pressure of radiologists to attend more cases in the shortest time according to demand, where they can spend hours in reading rooms. Secondly, there is a need for experts to look for new solutions to work more efficiently, which in turn has a direct impact on the budgets allocated for the area.
For the field of radiology comfort and efficiency are paramount, the tools that turn out to be more effective can reduce the problems that arise from not having the right equipment. Radiology is a creative and constantly growing business area that continuously sets new development guidelines in search of more accurate diagnoses.
Quality control:
The image quality for the screens used in radiology is a critical pillar to carry out a correct interpretation of the studies. Digital images have a very wide catalog of colors that allows more detailed visualizations; in addition to evolving standards and regulations to ensure that radiologists work with the right technology.
High expectations:
Depending on the landscape of technologies that have been developed, high expectations regarding new diagnostic imaging screens are increasingly prevalent. The Barco expert assures that over the years and experience it has been possible to introduce to the market the precise tools to promote efficiency and improve the workflow with a lower cost and with the multifunctionality that the workstations can visualize multiple images. However, it is necessary to continue innovating in the field of visualization, since each time the challenges to improve diagnoses and health care become more evident.
Remote Care:
The field of radiology is no longer limited to working in person, now it is essential to be able to make diagnoses remotely or even through several workspaces with less magnitude, but that offer higher quality. With screens designed especially for this sector, it is now possible to even work from home flexibly, reducing fatigue levels, while increasing productivity.
Duality between breast imaging and general radiology:
Diagnostic screens are finding their way to become multipurpose devices, which allows multiple modalities to be handled with the same technology, whether in high-quality images, calibrated color and grayscale, where it is possible to concentrate data through a single system, without losing important information through one screen to another.
The points that have been developed so far allow a panoramic view of how the field of radiology begins a new decade. Having state-of-the-art equipment does not refer only to the budgetary issue, but to having the capacity as specialists to respond to the new needs of the clinical field and its patients. Radiology today is facing unprecedented challenges, so it is necessary to take a look at the technology that is emerging to respond to medical and operational needs.
"A hospital's commitment to diagnostic imaging promotes exceptional medical care that benefits both patients and medical specialists. Image quality and compliance are critical to achieving a reliable and ultimately successful diagnosis." Therefore, it is necessary to have a technological infrastructure that is able to identify the most subtle details to help in accurate detection at early stages.
An important aspect that as radiologists and patients we should know is that, in digital images of the breasts, the quality of the medical screen has a direct effect on the result of the study. The brightness of the screen and the resolution defined in megapixels are the most influential factors in the diagnostic interpretation, said the specialist. And he says there's plenty of room for 1-, 2- or 3-megapixel monitors in the breast imaging system, "but when it comes to the act of detecting and diagnosing breast exams, the standard is a minimum of 5 megapixels."
According to a study conducted by Barco on the importance of image quality, 200 radiologists in America and Europe commented on their interpretations, of which 91% believe that image quality is the most important and most impactful aspect of visualization in reading mammograms, while 70% consider that image ergonomics is essential to provide an accurate diagnosis.
Among the most important challenges around the fight against breast cancer, is the reduction of false negatives and generate an accurate diagnosis, for this reason it is essential that as doctors and patients we become aware of demanding quality monitors for the study, since 70% of diagnostic errors in radiological interpretations, are perceptual in nature, that is, the radiologist does not "see" the abnormality on the imaging examination.
The fight against breast cancer is everyone's task, therefore, within the framework of the pink month, it is necessary to identify ways to mitigate the damage caused by this disease, although self-exploration is the first step to detect it, having quality monitors in the health sector is a key piece to generate accurate and reliable diagnoses.
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