Department of Radio Diagnosis, Father Muller Medical College, Kankanady, Mangalore, Karnataka 575002, India.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail 1902, Bangladesh.
Health Policy Plan. 2022 Oct 12;37(9):1203-1206. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czac045.
The field of teleradiology has been of interest for almost 55 years and its potential prospects for healthcare have been constantly assessed and investigated. In view of the global preventive measures, such as social distancing and hand hygiene, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further accentuated the necessity for telemedicine and teleradiology. In a country as densely populated as India wherein radiology services are often fragmented, teleradiology can prove to be a lifesaving technology and aid dampen the repercussions stemming from the highly skewed doctor to patient ratio. Although innovative, the effective adoption of teleradiology faces several obstacles in India, such as inadequate technological infrastructure, a lack of knowledge among most medical practitioners, urban-rural disparities and a lack of financing. Similar challenges continue to also be faced by several other developing countries across the globe. This article therefore aims to elaborate on the most important facets of implementation of teleradiology observed in the Indian context to help provide salient pointers for the readership of relevant jurisdictions who may be embracing comparable teleradiology challenges. Despite the hurdles, the future of teleradiology seems promising. The respective governments, policymakers and all relevant stakeholders must continue to take decisive action to ensure that this potential is fully exploited by allocation of necessary funds, strengthening of information technology and its related fields, involvement of human resources with adequate technical and administrative expertise as well as taking continued action to improve existing telemedicine and teleradiology services.
远程放射学领域已经引起关注近 55 年，其在医疗保健方面的潜在前景一直在不断评估和研究。鉴于全球采取的预防措施，如保持社交距离和手部卫生，当前的 COVID-19 大流行进一步凸显了远程医疗和远程放射学的必要性。在印度这样人口密集的国家，放射科服务往往分散，远程放射学可以证明是一项拯救生命的技术，并有助于减轻医生与患者比例严重失衡所带来的影响。尽管具有创新性，但远程放射学在印度的有效采用面临着一些障碍，例如技术基础设施不足、大多数医疗从业者缺乏知识、城乡差距以及缺乏资金。全球其他一些发展中国家也继续面临类似的挑战。因此，本文旨在详细阐述在印度背景下观察到的远程放射学实施的最重要方面，以帮助为可能面临类似远程放射学挑战的相关司法管辖区的读者提供重要提示。尽管存在障碍，但远程放射学的未来似乎充满希望。各国政府、政策制定者和所有相关利益攸关方必须继续采取果断行动，通过分配必要资金、加强信息技术及其相关领域、利用具有足够技术和行政专业知识的人力资源，以及继续采取行动来改善现有的远程医疗和远程放射学服务，以确保充分利用这一潜力。
