RESUMEN
The challenge for Europe in the field of information and communications technologies applied to health care is that of addressing positively the problem of the widening gap between the expectations of the citizens of the type of care that can be made available and the limited resources to provide that care. If the expectations of the population are to be fulfilled, it will be necessary to find innovative ways of delivering health services and to do it more efficiently than has yet been the case. Advanced information and communications technologies will be important tools for Member States to achieve the levels of efficiency required. Based on the results of the Community AIM Exploratory Action, further collaborative work is required at EEC level to create an Integrated Health Information Environment (IHE) allowing essentially for integration, modularity and security.
Asunto(s)
Sistemas de Información/tendencias , Europa (Continente) , Predicción , Cooperación Internacional , Informática Médica/tendenciasRESUMEN
More and more digital imaging equipment is used in the daily routine of radiology departments. Computerized diagnostic equipment provides new capabilities for radiologists. It provides improvement of the work flow within the department, of the exchange of information between radiologists and referring physicians, and the exchange of information between radiologists specialized in specific diagnostic procedures. This exchange of information has to be performed locally within the department, between different buildings belonging to one department or between widely separated buildings in different hospital. The penetration of 'computer-assisted radiology' makes the organization of an imaging department and the information to be handled within it more and more complex. Specific requirements result from this increasing complexity. To meet these requirements, Siemens has developed technical solutions for integrated digital diagnostic imaging. These solutions allow the functional integration of physically separated systems such as multiple computed tomography (CT) units or CT plus magnetic resonance (MR) units belonging to one department, centralized archiving, hard-copy generation and image display, rapid access to images from multiple locations and effective image communication for intensive care units, child care units and trauma patients. Some of these requirements are discussed and the corresponding products are described. It is shown how these solutions will migrate to future comprehensive picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) configurations.
Asunto(s)
Diagnóstico por Computador , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Radiología/instrumentación , Diagnóstico por Computador/economía , Diagnóstico por Computador/tendencias , Predicción , Servicio de Radiología en Hospital/organización & administraciónRESUMEN
Following on from the introduction of Digital Subtraction Angiography at the beginning of the 80's and the positive experience gained worldwide since then, there has been an increasing interest in Digital Radiography. The reasons for this interest are complex and not just confined to considerations regarding image quality but include clinical and administrative advantages. The acceptance of DR systems, however, depends in the first instance on image quality and this can only be determined in clinical trials with ROC analysis. From results published so far it is clear that the digital matrix size is not so critical as was thought at first because of the increased contrast depth available. This article will briefly describe the alternative methods available today for generating digital radiographs with a short explanation of the technology involved and concomitant benefits. The differences between On-line and Off-line systems and their influence on examination practice will be explained before describing DR systems available. The subject of PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems) will be briefly mentioned.