Department of Radiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Department of Radiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
J Am Coll Radiol. 2017 Dec;14(12):1560-1565. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2017.08.024. Epub 2017 Sep 30.
In screening mammography, accessing prior examination images is crucial for accurate diagnosis and avoiding false-positives. When women visit multiple institutions for their screens, these "outside" examinations must be retrieved for comparison. Traditionally, prior images are obtained by faxing requests to other institutions and waiting for standard mail (film or CD-ROM), which can greatly delay report turnaround times. Recently, advancements in cloud-based image transfer technology have opened up more efficient options for examination transfer between institutions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cloud-based image transfer on mammography department workflow, time required to obtain prior images, and report turnaround times. Sixty screening examinations requiring prior images were placed into two groups (30 each). The control group used the standard institutional protocol for requesting prior images: faxing requests and waiting for mailed examinations. The experimental group used a cloud-based transfer for both requesting and receiving examinations. The mean number of days between examination request and examination receipt was measured for both groups and compared. The mean number of days from examination request to receipt was 6.08 days (SD 3.50) in the control group compared with 3.16 days (SD 3.95) in the experimental group. Using a cloud-based image transfer to obtain prior mammograms resulted in an average reduction of 2.92 days (P = .0361; 95% confidence interval 0.20-5.65) between examination request and receipt. This improvement in system efficiency is relevant for interpreting radiologists working to improve reporting times and for patients anxious to receive their mammography results.
在筛查性乳房 X 光检查中，获取之前的检查图像对于准确诊断和避免假阳性至关重要。当女性为了筛查而前往多家医疗机构时，必须检索这些“外部”检查结果以进行比较。传统上，通过向其他机构传真请求并等待标准邮件（胶片或 CD-ROM）来获取之前的图像，这可能会极大地延迟报告周转时间。最近，基于云的图像传输技术的进步为机构之间的检查传输提供了更高效的选择。本研究的目的是评估基于云的图像传输对乳房 X 光检查部门工作流程、获取之前图像所需的时间以及报告周转时间的影响。将需要之前图像的 60 次筛查检查分为两组（每组 30 次）。对照组使用标准机构协议请求之前的图像：传真请求并等待邮寄的检查。实验组使用基于云的传输请求和接收检查。测量两组之间检查请求和检查接收之间的平均天数，并进行比较。对照组从检查请求到检查接收的平均天数为 6.08 天（SD 3.50），实验组为 3.16 天（SD 3.95）。使用基于云的图像传输来获取之前的乳房 X 光片，平均减少了 2.92 天（P=.0361；95%置信区间 0.20-5.65）的检查请求和接收之间的时间。这种系统效率的提高对于致力于缩短报告时间的放射科医生和急于获得乳房 X 光检查结果的患者都非常重要。
