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Abstract:
We are indeed privileged because within our well funded healthcare system there is opportunity to purchase high specification leading edge medical imaging technologies. We find ourselves lured into these technologies by good marketing strategies that highlight the improvements in patient management and care that they can bring. Consequently many of our imaging departments boast a broad range of advanced imaging solutions.
Aside the often hilarious physical fitting of ever larger technologies into small hospital spaces there is the serious side of needing to change the way we think and the way we work, and it is here that our important challenges lie. Examples of the challenges include: the potential initial lack of quality published evidence on which to base practice; the changes to patient pathways, including the consequences of accelerated diagnosis; the controversy surrounding incidental detection of pathology on image data ‘that was never intended for diagnostic imaging purposes’; the potential for ‘spiralling’ patient radiation burdens; the increased volumes of image data to analyse and interpret; and the clash of cultures and Regulation when different technologies are brought together in hybrid environments.
As advanced imaging technologies are introduced, basic and advanced competencies for all professional groups need to be defined and redefined. For instance, for many years we have observed radiographers roles expand into areas of other professionals, most notably the medical profession. Now hybrid systems which involve CT have given the potential for others to extend their professional responsibility into that of radiography; this has been the focus of significant debate in America, Canada and other countries. CT aside, the combination of two imaging modalities into one image dataset acquired during one session has added significantly to the complexity of interpretation and diagnosis. Multimodality image fusion requires an analytical understanding of pathology, patho-physiology, anatomy and physiology as well as an understanding of the physical principles of image formation for each modality. Such advances in imaging technology have challenged the medical, scientific and radiographic communities and as a cohesive team we need to rise and meet the challenges that are set.
This talk will identify and explore some of the challenges faced by the introduction of advanced imaging technologies. Where possible solutions will be suggested; albeit in some cases problems will only be raised as it might be that no solution, as yet, exists.