High-volume teleradiology service: focus on radiologist satisfaction

A Narrative Review of Factors Historically Influencing Telehealth Use across Six Medical Specialties in the United States

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, studies in the US have identified wide variations in telehealth use across medical specialties. This is an intriguing problem, because the US has historically lacked a standardized set of telehealth coverage and reimbursement policies, which has posed a barrier to telehealth use across all specialties. Although all medical specialties in the US have been affected by these macro (policy-level) barriers, some specialties have been able to integrate telehealth use into mainstream practice, while others are just gaining momentum with telehealth during COVID-19. Although the temporary removal of policy (coverage) restrictions during the pandemic has accelerated telehealth use, uncertainties remain regarding future telehealth sustainability. Since macro (policy-level) factors by themselves do not serve to explain the variation in telehealth use across specialties, it would be important to examine meso (organizational-level) and micro (individual-level) factors historically influencing telehealth use across specialties, to understand underlying reasons for variation and identify implications for widespread sustainability. This paper draws upon the existing literature to develop a conceptual framework on macro-meso-micro factors influencing telehealth use within a medical specialty. The framework is then used to guide a narrative review of the telehealth literature across six medical specialties, including three specialties with lower telehealth use (allergy-immunology, family medicine, gastroenterology) and three with higher telehealth use (psychiatry, cardiology, radiology) in the US, in order to synthesize themes and gain insights into barriers and facilitators to telehealth use. In doing so, this review addresses a gap in the literature and provides a foundation for future research. Importantly, it helps to identify implications for ensuring widespread sustainability of telehealth use in the post-pandemic future.

Telemedicine consultations: Failed cases and floundering specialties

The Arizona Telemedicine Program began as a multi-service provider, with teleconsultations in over 53 subspecialties. Although new sites often use numerous subspecialties at first, this is typically followed by a longer period when only a few subspecialties are used. A retrospective analysis of the referral rates from the sites showed wide variations, some exhibiting extreme fluctuations. There was a high correlation (0.84) between personnel turnover rates at each site (i.e. the number of personnel changing) and the degree to which the fluctuations were ‘out of control’. Over six years, 402 teleconsultations were scheduled but did not occur. Of these, 82% were closed with no further contact, although 63% were managed eventually via telemedicine, all in telepsychiatry. The reasons for these appointments not taking place were that the patient did not show up (45%), the patient cancelled (32%), the telepsychiatrist cancelled (22%) or bad weather prevented travel (1 %). Of the unsuccessful teleconsultations, 84% were realtime and 16% were store and forward. The average cost to the provider of a missed realtime teleconsultation was US$228 for a 1 h session.

University-Based Teleradiology in the United States

This article reviews the University of Arizona's more than 15 years of experience with teleradiology and provides an overview of university-based teleradiology practice in the United States (U.S.). In the U.S., teleradiology is a major economic enterprise with many private for-profit companies offering national teleradiology services (i.e., professional interpretation of radiologic studies of all types by American Board of Radiology certified radiologists). The initial thrust for teleradiology was for after-hours coverage of radiologic studies, but teleradiology has expanded its venue to include routine full-time or partial coverage for small hospitals, clinics, specialty medical practices, and urgent care centers. It also provides subspecialty radiologic coverage not available at smaller medical centers and clinics. Many U.S. university-based academic departments of radiology provide teleradiology services usually as an additional for-profit business to supplement departmental income. Since academic-based teleradiology providers have to compete in a very demanding marketplace, their success is not guaranteed. They must provide timely, high-quality professional services for a competitive price. Academic practices have the advantage of house officers and fellows who can help with the coverage, and they have excellent subspecialty expertise. The marketplace is constantly shifting, and university-based teleradiology practices have to be nimble and adjust to ever-changing situations.

Teleradiology: evolution and concepts

Teleradiology has become a reality for several years now, but its existence still has not been freed from all controversies. From the beginning the military has been the driving force for teleradiology. Today teleradiology has many purposes worldwide ranging from services for expert or second opinions to international commercial diagnostic reading services. Ten years ago image quality, transmission speed and image compression were important issues of debate. Today the focus is on clinical governance, medico-legal issues and quality assessment. The increasing use of teleradiology reflects the changing world of clinical practice, service delivery and technology.

Satisfaction at work among radiologists

PURPOSE

This study sought to evaluate professional satisfaction among Italian radiologists and identify what personal characteristics of radiologists and features of their work and work setting affect job satisfaction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Satisfaction was assessed by using Warr et al.'s 17-item Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) in 206 radiologists, 108 radiotherapists and 34 specialists in infectious diseases used as controls.

RESULTS

Forty-nine per cent of diagnostic radiologists reported being satisfied with their jobs. The frequency is significantly lower than that found among radiotherapists (64%) and controls (62%). Middle-aged radiologists on lower rungs of the career ladder were more dissatisfied than were their older colleagues in top positions. Female radiologists were less satisfied than their male counterparts with regard to recognition for good work, amount of job variety and distribution of workloads. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that job satisfaction was especially affected by physical working conditions, freedom to choose one's own work method, relationship with one's immediate boss, attention paid to one's suggestions and the amount of job variety.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study identified the sources of professional satisfaction and dissatisfaction among radiologists. A future survey of a stratified random sample of Italian radiologists appears to be feasible.

Satisfaction at work among radiologists

PURPOSE

This study sought to evaluate professional satisfaction among Italian radiologists and identify what personal characteristics of radiologists and features of their work and work setting affect job satisfaction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Satisfaction was assessed by using Warr et al.'s 17-item Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) in 206 radiologists, 108 radiotherapists and 34 specialists in infectious diseases used as controls.

RESULTS

Forty-nine per cent of diagnostic radiologists reported being satisfied with their jobs. The frequency is significantly lower than that found among radiotherapists (64%) and controls (62%). Middle-aged radiologists on lower rungs of the career ladder were more dissatisfied than were their older colleagues in top positions. Female radiologists were less satisfied than their male counterparts with regard to recognition for good work, amount of job variety and distribution of workloads. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that job satisfaction was especially affected by physical working conditions, freedom to choose one's own work method, relationship with one's immediate boss, attention paid to one's suggestions and the amount of job variety.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study identified the sources of professional satisfaction and dissatisfaction among radiologists. A future survey of a stratified random sample of Italian radiologists appears to be feasible.

The diffusion of a medical innovation: where teleradiology is and where it is going

Teleradiology is one of the more successful applications of telemedicine as measured by a bibliometric analysis of teleradiology research publications. The organizational diffusion of innovation framework is helpful in understanding the diffusion of teleradiology. Teleradiology had become part of the practices of two-thirds of radiologists who responded to the American College of Radiology survey in 1999. It is clear that teleradiology has become routinized even though quantitative data are hard to find. Telecardiology may be the next successfully diffused form of telemedicine. The potential cloud on the horizon for telediagnostics is political pressure to avoid outsourcing to foreign countries, particularly those to which US information technology jobs have already been transferred. How the outsourcing issue is resolved will have a significant effect on teleradiology specifically, and, perhaps, telemedicine generally.

The state of teleradiology in 2003 and changes since 1999

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study is to describe in detail the use of teleradiology in 2003 and to report on changes since 1999 in this rapidly evolving field.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyze non-individually identified data from the American College of Radiology's 2003 Survey of Radiologists, a stratified random sample mail survey that achieved a response rate of 63%, and data from the American College of Radiology's 1999 Survey of Practices. Responses were weighted to represent the distribution of individual radiologists and radiology practices nationwide. We present descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analysis results on the prevalence and uses of teleradiology in 2003 and comparisons with 1999.

RESULTS

Overall, 67% of all radiology practices in the United States, which included 78% of all U.S. radiologists, reported using teleradiology. A significant increase (p < 0.05) was seen in the prevalence of teleradiology or PACS, from 58% of practices in 1999 to 73% in 2003. Regression results indicate that, other practice characteristics being equal, in 2003, primarily academic practices were less likely to use teleradiology than private radiology practices, and medium-sized practices (5-14 radiologists) were more likely to have teleradiology than larger ones. In practices using teleradiology, home was the most frequent receiving site in both 1999 (81%) and 2003 (75%), the percentages being not significantly different.

CONCLUSION

Already a fixture of radiology practice in 1999, teleradiology increased in prevalence substantially by 2003. The primary use of teleradiology, transmission of images to home, did not change, suggesting that easing the burden of call remains the main use of teleradiology.

Technology and Perception in the 21st-Century Reading Room

Radiology reading rooms have changed dramatically over the past 15 years, moving from analog-light-box-based environments to digital-display-based environments. Most of the focus in the early stages of this transition was on the technology, but it soon became obvious that it was not possible or even prudent to consider the technology without considering radiologists. The information being presented to radiologists in digital reading rooms is in many ways very different from that presented on traditional film. On one hand, the digital workstation display medium itself is very different from traditional film images hung on light boxes. On the other hand, without large-area light boxes, images such as those from computed tomography (CT) can no longer be displayed all at once in a series of film sheets. The digital world also introduces the possibility of manipulating image data in ways that were never possible with analog film. Not only can radiologists manipulate image data with various image-processing tools, but also, computers can analyze images and provide even more information to incorporate into the interpretation process. As a consequence of these differences, it has been necessary to focus attention on radiologists to discover ways to optimize the digital reading environment with respect to the human visual system and the way the eye-brain system processes information. This article reviews some of the important perceptual issues that have arisen in the digital reading rooms of the 21st century.

Radiology interpretation process modeling

Information and communication technology in healthcare promises optimized patient care while ensuring efficiency and cost-effectiveness. However, the promised results are not yet achieved; the healthcare process requires analysis and radical redesign to achieve improvements in care quality and productivity. Healthcare process reengineering is thus necessary and involves modeling its workflow. Even though the healthcare process is very large and not very well modeled yet, its sub-processes can be modeled individually, providing fundamental pieces of the whole model. In this paper, we are interested in modeling the radiology interpretation process that results in generating a diagnostic radiology report. This radiology report is an important clinical element of the patient healthcare record and assists in healthcare decisions. We present the radiology interpretation process by identifying its boundaries and by positioning it on the large healthcare process map. Moreover, we discuss an information data model and identify roles, tasks and several information flows. Furthermore, we describe standard frameworks to enable radiology interpretation workflow implementations between heterogeneous systems.

Organizational cooperation in teleradiology

Teleradiology requires cooperation between participating parties, but it cannot be assumed that such cooperation will work well. A survey was carried out of 12 radiology departments in Norway which used picture archiving and communication systems in connection with teleradiology. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 26 out of 29 resource persons (response rate 90%). The respondents identified 17 issues of importance for cooperation in teleradiology. None of the problems with cooperation seem large enough to prevent effective teleradiology cooperation in future. For organizations planning teleradiology of a larger volume, the cooperation issue is important. It is recommended that managers lead change processes in their organizations where the different issues of importance to cooperation are treated and the right measures are taken to realize the full potential of teleradiology. For telemedicine, it is important that future research includes investigations on cooperation for the different applications.