It can be challenging to obtain a clinical history when reading studies: Radiology requisitions frequently offer little information, and digging into the electronic medical record (EMR) can be time-consuming, according to presenter Dr. Richard Gorniak of Thomas Jefferson University.
However, "for patients who [have] had prior studies, many times prior history about chronic conditions or malignancy has already been obtained, either from a more detailed history from another referrer or by a diligent radiologist who previously interrogated the EMR or other sources," Gorniak said.
The research team, which included participants from Thomas Jefferson University, Philips Healthcare, and the University of Chicago, sought to automate the process of extracting nonredundant clinical history from a patient's prior reports. This history, which is gathered when a new imaging study is opened for interpretation, is displayed automatically within the PACS application.
The PACS plug-in, called Clinical Context Indicator (CCI), provides a "rapid, automatic summary of the history provided in prior radiology reports, augmenting information readily available at the time of image interpretation," Gorniak said.
In testing, CCI added pertinent history for radiologists in 44% of cases.
Learn all about the plug-in by visiting this poster on Tuesday.
