Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
Business Division for Information Technology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2020 Apr;214(4):754-760. doi: 10.2214/AJR.19.21794. Epub 2020 Jan 28.
The purpose of this study was to introduce a 24-hour teleradiology service for cruise ships as a novel concept in maritime telemedicine. One cruise ship equipped with a mobile radiography unit and digital storage imaging plates was involved in this pilot study. Radiographs were transmitted via satellite internet to a tertiary hospital on shore for image interpretation by expert radiologists. Use of a virtual private network (VPN) enabled secure data transfer. Radiographs and patient data were automatically integrated into the PACS and radiology information system of the radiology department at the hospital. Images were analyzed by the staff radiologist at the hospital, and reports were immediately returned via e-mail through the VPN tunnel. Seventy-five radiographs of 47 patients were obtained on board within 2 months. All datasets were successfully transmitted. Most of the examinations (35 [≈ 75%]) were skeletal radiographs; the other 12 (≈ 25%) were chest radiographs. The turnaround time for the radiology reports was within 30 minutes in 43 cases (≈ 92%). In four cases (≈ 8%), delay was due to technical and organizational issues at the tertiary hospital. With the objective of supporting ship physicians with expert analyses of radiographs, a secure and stable method of image and radiology report transmission between an onboard hospital and a land-based radiology department was established.
本研究旨在引入一项 24 小时远程放射服务，作为海上远程医疗的新概念。一艘配备移动放射设备和数字存储成像板的游轮参与了这项试点研究。放射照片通过卫星互联网传输到岸上的一家三级医院，由专家放射科医生进行图像解读。使用虚拟专用网络 (VPN) 实现了安全的数据传输。放射照片和患者数据自动集成到医院放射科的 PACS 和放射信息系统中。医院的工作人员放射科医生对图像进行分析，并通过 VPN 隧道立即通过电子邮件返回报告。在两个月内，船上共获得了 47 名患者的 75 张放射照片。所有数据集均成功传输。大多数检查（35 次[≈75%]）为骨骼放射照片；其余 12 次（≈25%）为胸部放射照片。43 例（≈92%）放射科报告的周转时间在 30 分钟内。在 4 例（≈8%）中，延迟是由于三级医院的技术和组织问题。为了支持船医对放射照片进行专家分析，我们建立了一种安全稳定的方法，用于在船上医院和陆地放射科之间传输图像和放射科报告。
