Dear Ultrasound Insider,
If your institution uses a teleradiology provider for off-hours image interpretation, how do you handle ultrasound scans? That's the question that researchers from France recently asked, and their experience is the subject of this week's Insider Exclusive.
In response to a shortage of radiologists, the Lorraine region of France recently adopted teleradiology to enable a single radiologist to provide off-hours coverage to multiple hospitals. But after-hours requests for ultrasound scans presented a problem, in particular due to rules in France that prohibit scans from being performed without the presence of a radiologist.
The group found that most ultrasound exams could be either postponed or replaced with other imaging modalities -- but this approach presented problems of its own. Find out what they are by clicking here.
In other news, there were new developments this week in the disturbing case out of Australia in which the proprietor of a keepsake ultrasound clinic allegedly provided expectant mothers with fake 4D ultrasound fetal images. A trial is expected to start in July. Get an update by clicking here.
Dr. Jason Birnholz is back with a new column in which he waxes philosophical about the very nature of ultrasound -- its roots in physics. Dr. Birnholz compares the physics of ultrasound to that of its elder sibling, radiography, taking the thesis that sonography has struggled academically and intellectually due to a lack of understanding of its common roots. Read his thought-provoking essay by clicking here.
In other recent articles in your Ultrasound Community, check out the following:
- A recommendation that ultrasound should be the first choice for female pelvic imaging
- A study from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) on how sonography has the edge over MRI and mammography in assessing the size of breast tumors
- Research, also from AIUM 2015, that indicates that ultrasound could be a better choice than radiography for diagnosing pediatric pneumonia
- Our most recent article from Doug Wuebben on the potential pitfalls behind a projection that the job market for sonographers will grow in future years
Get these stories and more at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
