What if radiologists organize, review/analyze & report imaging studies with one workspace?

When radiologists have to focus on low-value tasks, not only can productivity suffer, but also the ability to deliver well-informed and meaningful guidance to their clinical colleagues. Not having sufficient time to go in-depth with a case can compromise the quality and value of a radiologist's clinical insights. This article looks at the efficiency benefits of a single unified, comprehensive workspace for radiology.

There is a huge effort required by radiologists to pull together relevant patient information to provide informed guidance to referring colleagues, especially in complex clinical domains such as neurology and oncology, where imaging studies are complemented by many other types of information, including pathology reports, molecular tests and genetic profiles.

Because it’s not uncommon for radiologists to review 100 cases per day, at least three of those cases are likely to be misdiagnosed. Add to that variations in operator training and individual differences in how images are acquired, and it’s easy to see the value of common interfaces and quantification tools across modalities. The benefits of standardization are economic, as well.

We have to recognize the realities that radiology teams deal with daily. Stressors, including a high case volume and the need to switch among viewing environments, contribute to radiologist burnout.3 As COVID-19 has made us realize all too well, diagnostic imaging is at the heart of modern healthcare. Expectations for timely, convenient, definitive diagnostic imaging continue to rise. Yet, on both an operational and a clinical level, workflow inefficiencies take a heavy toll on staff. For radiologists, this burden takes the form of large amounts of data, disconnected and inefficient systems, increasing workloads and complexity of cases and pressing reporting demands – all of which can fuel frustration, burnout and a sense of disconnection from patient-centered care. For patients, the risks are delayed care or a potential misdiagnosis.

Let’s take a look at some of the immediate benefits of a unified approach. A single, unified workspace for radiology would incorporate advanced 3D post-processing and image distribution capabilities, opened in an additional viewer tab for ease.

A unified workspace would mean that users can easily launch the relevant analysis tools from among the 70+ advanced applications available across multiple clinical domains. Artificial Intelligence can play a role by automating tasks and workflows, predicting usage patterns.

The CT and MR radiologists at Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Madrid, Spain, complete approximately 35,000 highly specialized studies per year. An estimated 30 to 40% of these studies call for advanced imaging.** Waiting for images to open in a separate advanced visualization workstation had a major impact on radiologist productivity. Integrated tools save "at least 1 to 2 minutes per patient."***

Now, with integrated workflow within a single workspace, Dr. Eliseo Vañó Galván, Cardiovascular Radiologist and Chair of the CT & MR Department, says "We save at least one to two minutes per patient. So that is a lot of time saved at the end of the day, across every specialist in our department. With the new integrated workflow, we quantify much more than ever before.”

An all-in-one workspace, fully integrated with the enterprise imaging platform and embedded in the diagnostic viewer, offers simple, efficient access to all needed tools across clinical domains. One-click access to advanced visualization tools – such as virtual colonoscopy, 3D processing, and spectral imaging – allows for efficient interpretation and supports diagnostic confidence.

Philips Diagnostic Radiology Viewer

Provides a single workspace with relevant tools for confident reading and insightful reporting, improving workflow and productivity by using embedded native 3D functionality and multimedia reporting.

Advanced Visualization Workspace

Offers advanced visualization with a robust set of tools for AI-assisted quantitative assessment and automatic results generation.