Patient Satisfaction And Teleradiology: What No One Tells You?

Teleradiologyhub.com is leading platform for teleradiology that is always fed with different questions from patients and diagnostic facilities across globe. This article is written by Ms Dione Smith from USA about teleradiology practice. She has summarized the nature of tele-reporting practice with its pros and cons.. 

Teleradiology is the practice of radiologists interpreting medical images while not being physically present in the location where the images are generated. Before we explain teleradiology, let's break down the word phrase by phrase to understand the purpose better. The term 'radiology' is the technique used for taking MRI or CT scan images of the internal body; the phrase 'tele' indicates the use of a phone or a mobile device to send scanning images from any part of the globe, USA, Uganda, Canada or Kenya. Radiologists sitting in Europe or India receive images from hospitals, private settings, or sharing devices. Patients must not visit a radiologist to interpret their scanning test images.

Senior home care centers benefit impressively from teleradiology as it provides a convenient method to obtain medical imaging interpretation from radiologists without giving the pain of long-distance traveling to senior citizens. The concept of teleradiology is becoming increasingly popular among people today, especially the ones aged forty-five and above.

 History of teleradiology

The emergence of teleradiology can be traced back as far as half a century since the emergence of telephones. Teleradiology is a product of the development of telephone service. During the 1960s and 1970s, scientists worked on improving radiology practices and combined telecommunication with radiology.

During the 1980s, teleradiology existed only as physical films copy that was mailed to radiologists. By 2010 the concept of teleradiology had developed into what we see and use today.

Patient Satisfaction with teleradiology

Teleradiology has spread like wildfire globally. Innovation is always welcomed, but only outstanding ideas are adapted for future uses. A good number of patients have shown their satisfaction with teleradiology. Here are some reasons why patients are happy with teleradiology;

24/7 availability

Teleradiology has made radiology reports available to patients 24/7, which previously took a lot of time due to the lack of availability of radiologists. The patients often had to wait for days to get their reports, and meanwhile, their problems worsened due to a lack of timely medication. Teleradiology makes it easier for patients to interpret medical images and make time-appropriate decisions for their health.

Inexpensive

When calculating the cost of a medication/ treatment, we often ignore the expenditure on traveling to the hospitals or clinics when their value is good enough to upset your budget. Teleradiology eliminates the traveling expenses you might have spent taking your reports to a radiologist. The availability of all the relevant radiologists over mobile has reduced the per-exam fee for the interpretation of the medical images, as having all the radiologists under one roof is expensive and, in most cases, impossible.

Better treatment/ results

In a hospital or private setting, all types of radiologists are unavailable. This poses a problem when a sub-specialist like a musculoskeletal radiologist, pediatric radiologist, neuroradiologist, or MRI radiologist is needed. Teleradiology has made these radiologists available in one click so that you get the best of the treatment in less time.

Satisfaction from patients of rural areas

Patients from rural areas were previously denied quality radiology treatment due to the lack of availability of trained professionals. The people were either left untreated, or the treatment provided was not good enough to treat their problem. Patients from rural areas can consult credible radiologists with teleradiology for quality treatment.

Cons of teleradiology

Modern devices have made communication more accessible, but they have also brought some drawbacks that make them lose their efficiency. We have listed some disadvantages of teleradiology below for you to know before choosing this option;

Miscommunication

Communication devices are an efficient source of delivering messages but often fail to provide emotions or expressions concerned with a message. Though on a small scale, the lack of deliverance of the sense of the message makes the treatment less efficient.

Physical examination

Doctors can make a better judgment by examining the patient's body language. The factor of face-to-face examination is absent in teleradiology and hinders better treatment.

Conclusion 

From the article, it is evident that the pros of teleradiology outnumber the cons. Though an essential factor, Miscommunication has a minimalistic impact on treatment and can be considered a controllable element. Teleradiology is a gift for today's patients as they are devoid of the pain of frequent visits to doctors and radiologists when they need ease, comfort, and rest.