Abstract
Medical Consultations and the Sharing of Medical Images Involving Spinal Injury Over Mobile Phone Networks
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mobile phone networks for remote medical consultations. This experimental study compared the use of mobile phone radiology consultation to hospital workstation radiology consultation for spinal injury patients in the Czech Republic.
Over a 1-year period, 17 cases were included based on the following criteria: 1) aged 18 to 90 years; 2) resident in neurosurgery on duty; and 3) patient with a potentially unstable spinal injury. For these cases, images were sent to both a hospital workstation using PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) and a mobile phone in JPEG format at a resolution of 200 × 200 pixels. Experienced neurosurgeons evaluated the images on the mobile phone device while neurosurgical residents received images on a hospital workstation. Total consultation time, accuracy of diagnosis, and image quality were the measured outcomes for this study.
There was full agreement for diagnosis and management for each case; however, the mobile phone consultation required approximately 8 minutes longer and more image adjustment (ie, zooming, rotating, shifting) than standard hospital workstation computers. The mobile phone image was determined to be sufficient for accurate diagnosis; however, there were no stated objective criteria for quality. Limitations of the study included sample size, inadequate description of mobile phone image quality, applicability to other injury patterns, and varying international mobile phone network speeds. Although the study has obvious limitations, the authors suggested that as mobile phone technology progresses, it will become an increasingly integral component of utilizing remote medical expertise.
(Am J Emerg Med. 2011 [Epub Ahead of print]) M Filip, P Linzer, F Samal, et al
Prepared by Matthew Stewart, MD, University of Utah Emergency Medicine Resident, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.