Total dematerialisation via the Web: the experience of Mouscron Hospital.
Doctor Dechambre,
Chief Radiologist at Mouscron Hospital
The Mouscron* hospital site has been equipped with the Telemis-Medical PACS since 2007. One of the objectives was to dematerialise all images externally, with a user-friendly and functional tool, whilst guaranteeing the confidentiality of the information.
Mouscron hospital initially went through a transitional phase, which included the sending of images to their outside contacts on CD ROM and on Web media. In March 2008, after information and practical demonstration sessions were organised for all the external physicians, the coordinators of this project within the hospital defined a control group of users, including people with varying amounts of experience of using computers, to jointly refine the procedures and processes. In 2010, this group expressed the desire to stop receiving CD ROMs and to work via the Web only. However, to give most of the contacts time to upgrade their computer equipment, it was not until 2011 that the hospital discontinued the systematic production of CD ROMs.
What can we learn from this?
The practical training sessions were very well received. The large control group enabled us to refine the processes related to the Web tool and to provide patients with ample information, through brochures amongst other things. Our contacts very much appreciated the insertion of a clickable link to the reports, sent to them in secure messages. This link lets them view images on the Web server by simply clicking, without the need to fill in authentication fields. The hospital observed a considerable fall in the production of CD ROMs (from 22,320 CD ROMs a year in 2008 to 7600 CD ROMs a year in 2011).
Today, occasional CD ROMs are burned (approximately 1850 in 2013) for very specific requirements, for doctors outside the Mouscron and Tournai region (3% of requests) or for an expert's report.
* Mouscron hospital - 350 beds - 8 radiologists - 34% of requests come from doctors outside the hospital, and 66% of requests come from doctors within this hospital (inpatients and consultations)
June 15, 2014