PACS Used to Strengthen Imaging Initiative in Developing Countries

Due to a cooperative effort utilizing a new picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), an international nonprofit organization has begun to strengthen diagnostic imaging in several developing countries.

Téléradiologie Sans Frontiéres (TSF; Toronto, Canada), also known as Teleradiology Without Borders, began the effort in 2007 by successfully implementing the RamSoft PACS system, which has rapidly begun to transform the process of interpreting X-rays and computed tomography (CT) images.

TSF was established by Jean-Baptiste Niedercorn, M.D., of Brussels, Belgium, and Gérald Wajnapel M.D, of Paris, France. Recognizing the need for experienced radiologists in countries such as Cameroon, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the two men created TSF, a volunteer organization whose radiologists review images transmitted to them via the PowerServer PACS and Gateway Router, both developed by RamSoft, Inc. (Toronto, Canada).

Today, medical personnel in developing countries no longer need transmit X-rays in e-mail attachments. Instead, PACS software donated by RamSoft is enabling them to quickly transmit digitized X-rays, images photographed using high-megapixel digital cameras, and CT images recorded to DVD. The result has been enhanced diagnostic capabilities, faster care, and improved outcomes.

"Dr. Niedercorn wanted to bring the knowledge of expert radiologists to regions of Africa where their expertise was desperately needed, and we saw that we could help,” said Peter Szabla, implementation manager for RamSoft. "The bottom line was that we wanted to make a difference, and the whole RamSoft team shared this sentiment from the very beginning.”

TSF uses four readers based in three countries--France, Luxembourg, and Belgium--to evaluate X-ray and CT images, about five to 10 difficult cases exported each week by centers that use the PACS. The process is organized, with reports submitted automatically. "Our service is very different from a conventional teleradiology service, where pictures and studies come from many hospitals to a central point,” Dr. Niedercorn said.

Using standard PC and PACS software, users log on to the Internet. Images are transmitted to the central data center with the push of a button. Radiologists interpret images sent to them that were automatically placed in their worklist. "The nice thing about the RamSoft PACS is that all you need is a computer, router, Internet access, and a login capability,” Dr. Niedercorn stated. "Everything is stored online. If a computer is lost or damaged, it is easy to recover the images.”

Due to this new technology, large files are no longer divided into 10 or 20 smaller ones, with readers required to piece them together. The RamSoft PACS enables the smooth transmission of large files that upload unobtrusively in the background--often while readers are completing their normal workload.

Fundamental to the effort is the ability of the RamSoft PACS to transform JPEG images into Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. Because X-rays are photographed and recreated as JPEG files, a PACS with a conversion capability was essential to TSF. Dr. Niedercorn also needed dictation and automated reporting capabilities, and RamSoft filled the requirements.

Using this PACS package has given users a radiology capability the clinicians could not have acquired any other way--as a result, needless surgeries are being prevented, necessary surgeries are being confirmed, and patients are being treated with speed and efficacy. "The PACS is very important to us,” Dr. Niedercorn remarked. "We like to believe that we're giving these countries some tools for practicing better medicine. And the RamSoft technology gives us the capacity to receive many more images. With more readers, who knows what we might be able to accomplish in the future?”

"We understand that the goal of any business is to create value for its shareholders, but we also believe that companies have a social responsibility to improve the lives of others in its own community and around the world,” Mr. Szabla said. "We are proud to partner with this not-for-profit organization in fulfilling our role as a good corporate citizen, and we believe our customers recognize and appreciate our efforts.”

According to Mr. Szabla, the TSF partnership is only the beginning. "We are always looking for ways to help others, and our work with TSF is only one of several initiatives that we have going,” he said. "For a while now we've been assisting some research and teaching schools with their imaging needs, and now more organizations around the world have expressed interest in working with us. The time and effort that we donate is minimal compared with the positive and lasting impact we are having on improving healthcare, and we're glad to help in some way.”

RamSoft is a leading healthcare information technology (IT) software and services company that provides radiology solutions to its clients worldwide.

Related Links:
RamSoft
Téléradiologie Sans Frontiéres