Multimedia Reporting Earns Support in NIH Study

November 20, 2015 — Carestream’s newest native Vue Reporting module presents interactive hyperlinks to critical images and automatic inclusion of quantitative analysis in the form of easy-to-understand comparison tables and charts, which oncologists and referring physicians prefer, according to the company. Easy access to both images and data can equip physicians and specialists with a more holistic view of each patient’s condition and can help enhance the process of communicating diagnostic and treatment decisions to patients. 

Carestream is demonstrating its multimedia reporting capabilities at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference. The company’s advanced Vue Reporting capabilities provide online, interactive reports that automatically contain structured and quantitative data, standardized language and comparative data. Rather than multiple sign-ons to access images and reports, physicians can use the hyperlinks from the report to directly view the key image or significant findings—whether from an electronic medical record (EMR) or a universal viewer such as Carestream’s Vue Motion. In addition to saving time and effort, these advanced reports also can increase referrals. 

“Multimedia reporting is the next stage in the evolution of the radiology report. Physicians can show patients their medical images as well as associated measurements to help communicate treatment decisions,” said Cristine Kao, Carestream’s Global Marketing and Growth Operations Director for Healthcare Information Solutions. “This can help build rapport between doctors and patients and may help patients embrace the therapies that have been prescribed.”

In a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 100 oncologists and radiologists agreed that quantitative interactive reporting would be superior to traditional text-only qualitative reporting for assessing tumor burden in cancer trials conducted at NIH. The study’s conclusion states that NIH researchers aim to improve the facility’s reporting in concert with new picture archiving and communication system (PACS) capabilities that include semi-automated lesion segmentation, interactive reporting and metadata management of lesions.

Facilities that offer multimedia reporting could also gain increased referrals from physicians, according to a study conducted by the Emory University School of Medicine. This study found that 80 percent of physicians would preferentially refer patients to a healthcare provider with multimedia reporting. In addition, 79 percent of physicians are more likely to recommend that their peers refer patients to a facility with multimedia reporting, according to the study.

For more information: www.carestream.com