Radiologists Say They’d Accept Lower Pay for Better Work-Life Balance

A recent Medscape survey, published on Friday, reveals that around 60% of radiologists would accept lower pay for a better work-life balance. Many radiologists face challenges balancing family and professional demands, with 39% feeling conflicted as parents and 33% struggling to achieve balance. Michael Ziffra, MD, from Northwestern, noted the persistent time issue for doctors, who wish to spend more time with family while also feeling compelled to prioritize patient care.

The survey found that 65% of radiologists consider prioritizing personal and family time very important, while 30% view it as somewhat important. Regarding exercise, 30% of radiologists work out 2-3 times a week, 24% do so 4-5 times, and only 13% do not exercise at all.

Most radiologists do not prioritize reducing screen time, with 63% not attempting to cut back on personal online hours. For personal internet use, 55% spend 2-4 hours daily, while 46% spend fewer than 2 hours on professional use.

Vacation time also varies, with 45% taking more than six weeks annually, 25% taking 3-4 weeks, and 13% taking 5-6 weeks. Only 5% take less than a week off each year.

 

Can Yoga Help Radiologists with Burnout?

A study published on January 31 in JAMA Network Open suggests that Yoga, specifically Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), could help alleviate burnout symptoms in radiologists. Led by Duygu Sag, PhD, and Fahri Saatcioglu, PhD, the research found that SKY reduced psychological distress and burnout while increasing wellness in physicians, including radiologists and radiation oncologists. The study emphasizes SKY as a safe and practical method to manage stress and burnout, which are significant issues in the medical profession.

yoga practice
Can yoga help with burnout?

 

Burnout negatively impacts physicians’ well-being, personal lives, and patient care, and has been a factor in their decision to leave the workforce. The study, conducted online from November 2021 to March 2022, involved 129 physicians from Turkey, Germany, and Dubai, comparing SKY with a stress management education program. Participants in the SKY group practiced daily and attended weekly follow-up sessions.

The researchers used various scales to measure the programs’ effectiveness and found that the SKY group experienced lower stress, decreased depression, reduced insomnia, increased professional fulfillment, and reduced work exhaustion and burnout compared to the control group. However, there was no significant effect on self-reported medical errors. The authors conclude that SKY could be a practical tool to mitigate stress and burnout in various professions facing similar challenges.

 

Is this Affecting Radiologist Staffing?

High workloads and mental demands contribute to burnout among radiologists, leading many to retire early or leave the field. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, accelerating the rate at which radiologists are exiting the profession​

 

How Teleradiology Helps

Teleradiology offers a vital solution to the current radiologist shortage by enabling remote reading of imaging studies, thus bridging the gap between demand and available workforce. By leveraging advanced technology, teleradiology ensures timely and accurate interpretations, especially for underserved and rural areas that struggle to attract full-time radiologists. As a top teleradiology company, Vesta is committed to providing high-quality remote radiology services, enhancing patient care, and supporting healthcare facilities in managing their workloads efficiently. We support small, medium and large volumes for ERs, private facilities, outpatient imaging and mobile radiology.

 

 

Sources:

Radiologybusiness.com
diagnosticimaging.com
openai.com

Growth in Demand for Imaging Procedures Will Increase Need for Teleradiology

The healthcare market is experiencing a shift towards outpatient care, driven by reimbursement changes, pandemic effects, and patient preferences, particularly prominent in the U.S. Providers are diversifying into sub-specializations like neurology and oncology, raising the demand for advanced imaging like MRI and CT. This trend has led to increased utilization of outpatient imaging and teleradiology services.

By the NuMbers

Diagnostic imaging is becoming increasingly crucial in healthcare, with the market projected to reach $31.9bn in 2023 and grow at a 4.8% CAGR to $45.8bn in 2030. The rise is driven by chronic diseases, an aging population, and post-Covid-19 demand recovery. To meet this demand, companies are focusing on advanced and accessible technologies, such as handheld ultrasounds. About 1,949 imaging devices are in development, with 112 expected to gain approval in 2023.

imaging device

According to Fortune Business Insights, in 2022, the computed tomography (CT) segment held the largest market share due to a rise in CT scan procedures and higher average pricing. For instance, OECD data for 2021 showed 84.5 million CT scan procedures in the U.S., up by 15.8% from the previous year. The growing geriatric population has also contributed to increased demand for CT scans.

Key Players

Key players include GE Healthcare, Philips, Siemens Healthineers, and more. Challenges include high equipment costs and a shortage of skilled personnel, impacting accessibility and patient care quality. Opportunities arise from the growing demand for imaging services, especially for chronic diseases, and the development of new modalities like 3D mammography and MRI-guided focused ultrasound. Emerging economies like India, China, and Brazil are pivotal, driven by rising chronic diseases. Major players like Siemens Healthineers are expanding in these markets. Additionally, teaching hospitals are increasing demand for advanced imaging methods to enhance patient care.

Your Dedicated Radiology Partner: Vesta

Partnering with Vesta as your radiology partner ensures access to accurate and timely imaging interpretations and readings for subspecialties. Whether you are an outpatient imaging center or traditional hospital, our collaboration offers a seamless and efficient experience. Trust us to be your reliable radiology partner, empowering you with the insights and tools needed for improved healthcare outcomes.

 

radiology peer reviewSources:

Itnonline.com
Medicaldevices-network.com
fortunebusinessinsights.com
openai.com

 

How Does Working With a Teleradiology Company Enhance Diagnostic Accuracy?

A teleradiology company is a healthcare organization that provides remote radiology services using telecommunication technology. It connects radiologists with healthcare facilities, allowing them to interpret and analyze medical images remotely, regardless of geographical locations. These companies facilitate the transmission of medical images and reports, enabling timely diagnoses, expert consultations, and improved access to radiology services.

Working with a teleradiology company can enhance diagnostic accuracy in several ways

Access to Specialized Radiologists: Teleradiology companies often have a network of highly specialized radiologists who can provide expertise in specific areas, such as musculoskeletal radiology, neuroradiology, or pediatric radiology. This specialization allows for more accurate and precise interpretations of complex cases.

Peer Review and Collaboration

Teleradiology platforms facilitate peer review and collaboration among radiologists. This enables multiple experts to review and discuss challenging cases, leading to a more accurate diagnosis. Radiologists can consult with their peers, share knowledge, and seek second opinions, which can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Reduced Turnaround Time

Teleradiology companies typically offer quick turnaround times for reporting. Faster access to radiology reports means timely diagnoses, enabling prompt patient management decisions. Rapid reporting reduces the chances of missed diagnoses or delayed treatment, improving overall diagnostic accuracy.

24/7 Coverage

Teleradiology services often provide round-the-clock coverage, allowing healthcare facilities to access radiology expertise at any time, including nights, weekends, and holidays. This availability ensures that critical cases receive immediate attention, leading to accurate and timely diagnoses.

day and night coverage

Subspecialty Interpretations

Teleradiology companies can match specific cases with radiologists who specialize in the relevant subspecialties. This ensures that complex or rare cases are interpreted by radiologists with extensive experience and knowledge in those areas. Subspecialty interpretations enhance diagnostic accuracy by reducing the likelihood of misdiagnosis or overlooking important findings.

Quality Assurance Programs

Teleradiology companies usually have robust quality assurance programs in place. These programs include regular audits, peer reviews, and adherence to strict reporting standards. By maintaining high-quality standards, teleradiology companies ensure accurate and reliable interpretations.

Advanced Technology and Tools

Teleradiology companies often employ advanced technologies and tools to enhance diagnostic accuracy. These include computer-aided detection (CAD) systems, advanced visualization software, and access to a comprehensive database of previous imaging studies for comparison. These tools assist radiologists in identifying subtle abnormalities, improving diagnostic accuracy. Another benefit is that teleradiology offers is the ability for the radiologist to manipulate the images in ways that cannot be achieved solely with film. As a result, it allows for the extraction of additional clinically significant information from the images and leads to more precise diagnoses and clinical decisions.

 

Vesta Teleradiology: Over 16 Years of Excellence

By leveraging the expertise of specialized board certified radiologists, promoting collaboration, offering fast turnaround times, providing subspecialty interpretations, implementing quality assurance programs, and utilizing advanced technology, teleradiology companies like Vesta can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy and contribute to improved patient care.

Sources

Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Sciencedirect.com
Openai.com

What is the Function of PACS in Hospitals and How are They Improving?

Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) is a medical imaging technology that has become increasingly important in modern healthcare. PACS is a digital platform that allows medical images, such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, to be stored, viewed, and shared electronically between healthcare professionals. This technology has revolutionized the way medical images are managed and has brought many benefits to hospitals and patients alike.

 

The function of PACS in hospitals is multifaceted, but its primary purpose is to facilitate the storage and retrieval of medical images. This enables healthcare professionals to access patient information quickly and easily, which can improve patient care, diagnosis, and treatment. 

Some of the key benefits of PACS include:

Improved efficiency: PACS eliminates the need for physical film and enables medical images to be shared quickly and easily between healthcare professionals. This can save time and improve the efficiency of medical imaging services.

teleradiology specialists

Enhanced patient care: PACS enables healthcare professionals to access patient information quickly and easily, which can improve patient care, diagnosis, and treatment.

 

Cost savings: PACS eliminates the need for physical film and the associated costs of processing and storing it. This can result in significant cost savings for hospitals.

 

How are PACS Evolving?

The benefits of PACS are numerous, and the technology is constantly evolving to meet the needs of modern healthcare. Some of the ways in which PACS is improving include:

 

Cloud-based solutions: Many PACS vendors now offer cloud-based solutions, which can provide greater flexibility and scalability. This enables healthcare professionals to access medical images from anywhere, at any time.

 

Artificial intelligence (AI): AI is being integrated into PACS to improve image analysis and interpretation. This can help healthcare professionals to make more accurate diagnoses and provide better patient care.

artificial intelligence

Mobile access: Many PACS vendors now offer mobile apps, which enable healthcare professionals to access medical images from their mobile devices. This can provide greater flexibility and convenience, particularly for healthcare professionals who are working remotely.

 

Vesta Teleradiology Works with Your System

Vesta is proud to help integrate their hospital partners with our PACS and systems. This allows clients to provide referring physicians digital access to their own studies, images and reports as soon as they are released. Further, with Vesta Direct Messaging technology, receive reports as well as significant images directly into the RIS. Vesta is always on the lookout to bring the latest technologies to our clients to help improve efficiency, quality while reducing costs

If you need a radiology partner that is not only reliable but can support your workflow, please contact us today: 877-55-VESTA

Teleradiology company 

References

OpenAi.com

https://www.corestudycast.com/news/picture-archiving-and-communication-systems/

State of the Healthcare Industry: Hospital Strikes

Americans, and everyone all over the world, depend on proper medical care. From dental checkups to urgent care visits, medical professionals are absolutely essential, especially when it comes to massive emergencies. If we didn’t learn this fact yet, the pandemic certainly brought it into focus. In 2020, hospitals and medical buildings surged with COVID patients, overloading facilities and professionals alike. Now, with labor shortages, and unfair compensation, nurses and medical staff are going on strike to re-negotiate contracts to make their workplaces a fairer place to be.

Healthcare Strikes Going on Now

Beginning in January of this year, over 7,000 medical professionals went on strike in New York City, says Vox. The strikes involve Mt. Sinai Hospital, and three other facilities, located in the Bronx, owned by Montefiore. Recent contract negotiations failed to provide health care workers with more staff, as well as desired salary compensation, says the article. Over 700 positions are open within the Montefiore facilities, and nurses and medical staff feel overburdened and undervalued. As explained by Vox, when billable hours and revenue collection are limited to doctors who prescribe surgeries and medicine, nurses and other medical staff are a complete cost to the hospital. Even though these professionals are essential to properly run any medical facility, investing in nursing staff becomes a problem when the American structure is a pay-for-treatment transaction in healthcare systems that are for profit.

 

Last month, on February 27, another strike took place on Long Island with about 800 nurses, says CBS News. At Northwell Health’s South Shore University Hospital, nurses are demanding “safe staffing and fair wage,” says the article. 99% of the nurses voted to authorize the strike.

burnt out

 

It isn’t just the United States that’s involved with strikes. Across the pond, in the UK, nurses are also having a difficult time negotiating what they need in their contracts, says IN News. For the first time in Royal College of Nursing history, medical staff, which spanned over 100 services, held England’s largest nursing strike on March 1 of this year. In the 48-hour strike, staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care, and other services were involved, says the article. Compensation, workload, and workplace conditions are the terms UK nurses are fighting for. Since 2010, nurses’ compensation has fallen 8%, says the article.

 

Both in the US and UK, nurses have made it clear that they do not want to strike, leaving vulnerable patients in a bind, says USA Today, and IN News. “Bosses have pushed us to strike by refusing to seriously consider our proposals to address the desperate crisis of unsafe staffing that harms our patients,” said a union representative from The Nurses Association to USA Today.

 

Re-negotiated contracts and tentative agreements were reached in New York, some involving a raise of 5-7% over the next three years for nursing staff, as well as staffing increases, says Today. Negotiations in the UK came to an agreement on March 16, with more than 1 million NHS staff receiving a raise, says gov.uk.

 

Shortage in Radiologists

It’s not just nurses that are in shortage, but also those in the radiology field as well. Luckily, partnering with a teleradiology company like Vesta allows you to fill in those gaps you have—whether you’re short-staffed for weekend work or simply need reliable interpretations around the clock. Vesta also offers top-to-bottom healthcare staffing from its sister company, Momentum Healthcare Staffing for positions such as locums tenens and permanent nurse practitioners, physicians, medical assistants and more.

radiologists

Women in Imaging: Historical and Contemporary Figures Advancing Medicine

March is a month set aside to celebrate women. During this month, Women’s History month, people are encouraged to learn about and celebrate the strong women in their lives and throughout history. But women’s history is wide reaching and all encompassing. There are thousands of women in hundreds of different industries that have made lasting impacts.

One of those industries is the medical industry. Women have left their mark everywhere in medicine and have helped develop new ideas, new medicines and treatments, and new pieces of technology. Let’s take a look at pillars in medical imaging.

History of Medical Imaging

But first, what exactly is medical imaging? This section of the medical industry includes different technologies that help medical professionals view various internal body systems within the human body. Medical imaging is used to find, diagnose, monitor, and even treat different medical conditions or injury.

Each piece of technology encompassed in medical imaging focuses on a different area or system of the body. Take x-rays for example. X-rays are used to view the skeletal system – the bones – of the body. X-rays are used to identify different issues with a patient’s bones and joints. Other types of medical imaging includes ultrasounds, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), and even mammography.

diagnostic imaging

Medical imaging, as a practice, has been around since the last 19th century. It began with the development of x-rays. The first x-ray was taken in 1895, and since then the industry has grown as new pieces of technology have been developed. And women have played a pivotal role in this development.

Women in Medical Imaging

There have been innumerable women who have had a hand in the development and advancement of medical imaging. Of those, there are a few that we’d like to highlight.

Marie Curie

The first woman of medical imaging was a Polish scientist named Marie Curie. While this name is often familiar to many people, it’s familiar because of her discovery of radium. Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element that was instrumental to the development of medical imaging.

Without Marie Curie’s discoveries, medical imaging may not exist, or would at least have been seriously delayed. Medical imaging uses radiation to see within the human body, so Marie Curie and her developments were imperative.

Florence Ada Stoney

Florence Ada Stoney was a radiologist during World War I. While she may not have created a new technology or radiology treatment, she was the lynchpin of women’s participation in medical imaging and radiology.

Florence Ada Stoney
Florence Ada Stoney in the center pictured with her sister and father

Stoney was not allowed to serve in the x-ray department of a London hospital during the war effort because she was a woman. Rather than admit defeat, Stoney created a volunteer unit comprised entirely of women. In 1915, Stoney was hired as the head of the Fulham Military Hospital’s x-ray department – the first time a woman headed such a department.

Muyinatu Bell

Muyinatu Bell is a modern counterpart of the forerunners of medical imaging. In the mid-2010s, Bell developed a new ultrasound technique that produces higher-quality images and is most effective for use in obese patients.

Without these women, modern medical imaging wouldn’t be where it is today. But this list is not exhaustive. There are countless more women who have found their place in medical imaging and left their mark.

While the number of women actively working in medical imaging is rarely higher 30%, no matter what area or discipline, they are still making serious gains. Women are a small portion of the medical imaging world, but they are mighty. 

Social Media Tips to Help Healthcare Facilities Connect with Patients

Social media is an ever-changing landscape, but it remains one of the best ways for healthcare facilities to reach and engage with current and potential patients. If you’re a healthcare facility looking to get started on social media, here are a few tips to help.

Listen First, Talk Later

Before creating content or engaging with people on social media, listening and observing what’s already happening in your industry is essential. Read up on trending topics, follow influencers, and join conversations relevant to your healthcare facility—this will give you a better understanding of what kinds of content resonates with your target audience.

Once you understand the conversation, you can create content or join existing discussions.

social media for healthcare
How are you connecting with patients online?

Spread Awareness of Services

Content doesn’t have to be hard to produce. Does your facility offer mammograms or other diagnostic imaging services? What type of special treatments do you offer patients? Let it be known through your posts! Whether you make a short informative Instagram Reel or a simple graphic, it’s ever crucial to make sure people know what you offer.

 

Build Relationships

Social media is all about building relationships, so pay attention to how you interact with others online.

Respond thoughtfully to comments and questions from followers; if someone has taken the time to reach out to you via social media, they deserve a well-crafted response that shows them that their voice matters. When responding directly to a patient’s question or comment, always use a professional tone and be sure not to disclose private information.

The beginning response to a patient with a question about diabetes might be:

“ Managing diabetes is no easy task, and if you’re a diabetes patient, it can be challenging to get your condition under control.”

Or:

“I empathize with the daily struggles you must endure keeping diabetes at bay. The good news is that there are ways to help make this easier for you.”

 

Be Transparent

Social media should be an opportunity for transparency between yourself and your followers.

health care social media tips
Show the faces behind your healthcare team

 

Share behind-the-scenes photos and videos from your day-to-day operations; this helps build trust by showing that real people work hard at your facility daily. It also allows patients who may not have visited before to get familiarized with the space beforehand, making them more comfortable when they arrive for their appointment or procedure.

 

Monitor Your Reputation

As a healthcare facility on social media, you must monitor what’s being said about you online – positive and negative.

Be sure to set up alerts for your company name as well as any hashtags associated with it to allow you to keep tabs on mentions of your brand.

If anything negative is posted about you online (such as negative reviews), you can address it quickly before the situation escalates. When a person posts a positive comment, be sure you “like” them, or comment back, so your followers know you respected their opinion.

A respectful response to a negative review about a rude employee at a hospital might be:

“At our hospital, all our staff members strive to ensure the highest level of quality care and customer satisfaction possible. Unfortunately, it’s not always achieved as intended due to human error and environmental stressors.”

Or

“We recognize that patient care starts with respectful communication and interactions between patients and healthcare providers. To improve communication throughout the institution, we are investing in additional staffing resources so that nurses and other team members feel better supported when high volumes present themselves on certain days or times during their shifts.” 

 

Measure Results

Lastly, measure the results of your social media efforts using analytics tools.

Using these tools will allow you to track how many people are visiting your page (and how often), see where they came from (e.g., organic search vs. referral traffic), and track engagement over time (likes/comments/shares). This information will help inform future decisions about what kind of content works best for engaging with patients online.

By measuring results regularly, you can continually refine and improve your strategy over time, so it eventually becomes second nature.

Social media can provide significant benefits for healthcare facilities looking to connect more deeply with current & potential patients—but only if done correctly.

Following these tips will ensure your presence on social media is practical & compliant with relevant regulations & guidelines set forth by governing bodies.

Take some time today & begin implementing these tips into practice right away. Your healthcare facility’s social pages will become vibrant hubs of conversation & connect with the community.

Good luck & happy posting!

 

Diagnostic Imaging Trends: Point of Care Ultrasound – POCUS

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is revolutionizing the healthcare industry and changing how doctors prescribe treatment for patients. POCUS is a diagnostic tool that utilizes ultrasound imaging to diagnose, monitor, and guide treatments for medical conditions.

This technology has been around for decades but is presently utilized more broadly throughout the healthcare system. Let’s take a closer look at POCUS and how it transforms patient care.

 

What Is Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)?

Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is an ultrasound-based diagnostic tool used in clinical settings that uses sound waves to create images allowing doctors to see inside the body without having to do surgery or other invasive procedures.

POCUS can detect various medical conditions, such as heart defects, abdominal diseases, vascular diseases, musculoskeletal problems, and gynecological issues. POCUS can also be used in emergency settings to assess a patient’s condition quickly and determine if further intervention or testing is needed.

 

How Is Point of Care Ultrasound Transforming Healthcare?

One benefit of POCUS is its cost-effectiveness compared with other imaging tests, such as MRI or CT scans, and POCUS does not require expensive equipment as those tests do.

 

POCUS
Point of care ultrasound

 

Additionally, it can be done quickly and easily at the point of care, which reduces wait times for patients and increases accuracy in diagnosis, as well as reduces unnecessary treatments or hospital admissions. Furthermore, since it does not use radiation as other imaging tests do, there are no additional health risks associated with this technology, making it safer overall for patients.

Another advantage of POCUS is its ability to provide real-time data about a patient’s condition, which helps doctors make more informed decisions about treatment plans for their patients.

Additionally, because POCUS used in most circumstances does not require special training or expensive equipment, these systems are becoming increasingly available in low-resource areas where access to traditional diagnostic imaging may be limited. This benefit means more people have access to high-quality healthcare regardless of where they live or available resources.

The Gates Foundation recently provided financing to bring 1,000 handheld ultrasound devices to Africa. When low to mid-income nations can improve the accuracy of an efficient diagnosis–local doctors can save more lives.

Since 2012, however, emergency medicine program accreditation requires competency in POCUS. Competency assessment in this field includes demonstrations of technical skill and how it relates to the specific clinical practice.

Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) offers numerous benefits over traditional imaging tests. Its cost-effectiveness allows physicians to provide accurate diagnoses without breaking the bank. In contrast, its portability allows it to reach underserved populations who may not otherwise have access to quality healthcare services.

With further advances in technology coming soon, we could see even more widespread use of this powerful diagnostic tool across all areas of medicine in the near future.

 

Vesta Teleradiology: At the Forefront of Medical Technology

Vesta believes it is crucial to stay on top of technological trends that can benefit our hospital and healthcare facility partners. Vesta is always at the forefront of technological advances in order to help bring more efficiency and accuracy to imaging and radiological interpretations. For more information about Vesta’s teleradiology services, please contact us today.

 

The Role of 3D Printing in Radiology

3D printing is an incredible technological tool both in and out of the medical world. Fortunately, this revolutionary technology has opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities for medical professionals to better their patients care. 

Why Is 3D Printing Important To Medical Professionals?

3D printing has enabled doctors to create models of patients’ organs, tissues, and bones that can show the precise image of the patient’s anatomy, enabling them to make more thorough and accurate diagnoses. This means that diseases can be caught faster, leading to a higher percentage rate of positive outcomes. 

These models are helpful to ensure quality by using test treatments on a physical model before trying them on a patient. This can help to reduce the risk of adverse reactions and ensure that the treatment is as effective as possible. In addition, 3D printing can be used to create prosthetic limbs, allowing patients to receive a personalized prosthesis that is custom fit to their body.

prosthetic limbs
Prosthetic limbs

Finally, 3D printing is being used to create custom medical implants. Medical implants are used to replace missing or damaged tissue. They are typically made of titanium or other materials, but 3D printing has enabled medical professionals to create custom implants that are specifically designed for each patient. This has improved patient outcomes and allowed doctors to create implants that are more effective than ever before.

3D Printing In Radiology

In an interview for the American College of Radiology, Kenneth C. Wang, MD, Ph.D. said, “the benefit of printing comes from the patient-specific nature of what is depicted. And that almost always starts with imaging. That’s why we, as radiologists, are so well positioned to be at the center of these workflows. We can use our deep understanding of imaging modalities, anatomy, and disease to create models, interpret findings and also to know the limitations of the images, and communicate with other providers.” 

3D printing has become an increasingly common and useful tool for radiologists. Because it can be used to create customized models of organs, bones, and other body parts, it gives radiologists a better visualization and understanding of medical conditions that couldn’t be seen before. The in-depth imaging 3D printing provides can also be used to create medical implants, such as scaffolds for bone regeneration and customized joint replacements. 

3d printing imaging
3D printer

3D-printed models of organs can be used to practice minimally invasive procedures and to create guides for surgeons to follow during operations. 

This will help with medical education, allowing students and radiologists to visualize the anatomy and better understand medical conditions. Finally, 3D printing can be used to create patient-specific medical devices, such as hearing aids and prosthetics, to customize them and make them more comfortable for patients.

Conclusion

Overall, 3D printing has revolutionized the world of radiology. It has allowed medical professionals to make more precise and accurate diagnoses, create custom medical devices, create models of organs, tissues, and bones, and create custom medical implants. This technology has enabled doctors to provide better patient care and has improved patient outcomes. With this kind of technology coupled with Artificial Intelligence, the sky is the limit.

Vesta Teleradiology is always looking to new technologies to improve our operations and further assist our clients in accurate and quick interpretations. Please reach out to us to learn about how we customize the process for your healthcare facility’s needs. 

 

The Future of Radiology with 5G

If you’ve been to the doctor’s office, hospital, or any healthcare building recently, you might have noticed an upgrade in technology. Instead of a sign-in sheet, you may have been handed a fingerprint scanner. In lieu of a paper and pen, a nurse may have an iPad or desktop computer to take your medical history. For years, medical offices around the country have already had an online scheduling and note-taking system, so it may not come as a surprise that innovations have reached their way to medical imaging and radiology. 5G technology has made vast improvements in the medical space since 2018, says Imaging Technology News, and will continue to make waves, globally, for years to come.

Advancements with 5G

Ultrasound and telehealth technology has advanced this year with 5G technology, particularly with people who live in remote locations without easy access to hospitals, says Radiology Business. 5G connectivity makes transmission of 4K images and ultrasound images much more efficient and clearer than LTE technology, says the article. Patients who need appointments or images read by medical professionals are able to receive the care they need through telehealth services and remarkably clearer images. In addition to this, 5G technology has helped remotely train the practitioners, who were not radiologists, to take the ultrasound examinations. Having a wider pool of practitioners to perform these tasks is proof that 5G has a promising future in the healthcare community.

Another advancement brought about by 5G technology is biomedical devices, says Applied Sciences.  When a patient has an implantable and wearable biomedical device with wireless communication technology, doctors are able to have updates and treatments in real time for those in their care. These devices gather data from sick patients and instantly transmit the progress to a doctor to be checked, remotely. Because of the reliability of a 5G network, life supporting devices are able to work quickly, and without complications of interruption. According to the article, developing the “self-health” systems aided by 5G technology will be critical for the lack of healthcare workers we will experience by 2035.

Looking ahead, Imaging Technology News predicts the 5G networks could be the “catalyst towards smart hospitals;” a center of streamlined systems and information that efficiently carries through the patient experience. Some of those concepts, says the article, includes a smart scheduling system, facial recognition or fingerprint scanners, and multiple imaging transfers between medical professionals. Importantly, too, 5G networks will enable “crosstalk” between medical devices, monitoring devices, and medical records, creating one, integrated system.

facial scanning
AI facial recognition

There are a lot of predictions about our healthcare system due to so many changes in our world today amidst the COVID, flu, RSV, healthcare worker shortage, and so many other variables. But, here, there is proof of a silver lining. Technology has made it possible to reroute some of these fears and bring some light to some dark statistics. We are on the precipice of new and big developments in our healthcare systems. The future is here and we are excited. Click here to learn more about Vesta’s partnership with MIT for artificial intelligence research.