America's largest hospital systems still relying on CDs for image sharing
Despite the many technological advancements that have occurred in radiology, the specialty is still lagging when it comes to image and data sharing, new research suggests.
Published in Academic Radiology, the paper reveals that most of the nation’s largest hospital systems still routinely rely on CDs to share patients’ imaging. In fact, despite the digitization of health records, none of the hospitals analyzed have managed to completely eliminate the use of CDs for image sharing.
In a field where demand for services is consistently increasing, the lack of uniform data-sharing practices across organizations could hinder both patient care and clinical workflows, experts caution.
“Patients are routinely handed physical CDs, despite widespread availability of secure digital alternatives. The ongoing use of CDs has implications for patient care and efficiency,” Min Lang MD, MSc, with the department of radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and colleagues explained. “For patients, receiving imaging on a CD results in inefficiencies as discs may need to be picked up in person, burned on-site with advance notice or mailed. This process can delay urgent referrals or second opinions. From the clinicians’ side, the need to physically import, view and convert CD data disrupts digital workflows.”
The team used publicly available data from the largest medical center from every state to determine how each organization handled sharing imaging studies. Institutions were categorized by method of image transfer: routine CD use, in transition to digital platforms, phasing out CDs or no CD use at all. However, after compiling all the data, the latter category became unnecessary, as none of the institutions had achieved a completely CD-free workflow.
In fact, among the 50 institutions included in the analysis, 72% still routinely relied on CDs to share imaging exams. Another 16% were in the process of transitioning away from discs, while 12% were actively working to integrate digital image transfer systems.
While the need for digital data sharing is evident, the complete elimination of CD reliance will take time, the group suggested.
“The delay in adoption of digital imaging transfer may be due to several barriers,” the authors noted. “Workflow inertia is a likely contributing factor, as prior studies on healthcare technology adoption consistently identify resistance to change and integration challenges as major barriers to implementation. Radiology departments and medical records have been accustomed to distributing CDs for patient image data, and altering this workflow process requires retraining, new standard operating procedures and budget.”
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.