The DICOM Handling Challenge Summarized

DICOM is a comprehensive specification of content and structure, that defines communications protocols for images in the medical industry. Such files contain:

• Patient ID
• Site of origin
• Attributes
• The image

Having full control over DICOM images is not that easy. Firstly, they can’t be viewed directly on a personal computer without a proper interpreter. Secondly, their file sizes are quite large. Thirdly, as their data is encoded within the header, it becomes challenging to completely analyze the patient’s state.

The Dental Image Challenge Summarized

Dental images are an influencing factor in properly diagnosing, providing high-quality treatment and eventually educating the patient. Through their visual effect, intraoral photographs can become essential in the documentation of a doctor’s work.

However, their enhanced benefits are often neglected. Taking a picture, uploading it, finding the file of the patient and then trying to compare the picture can all be considered as interrupting to the workflow. Not to mention, the dentist may be intimidated by the lack of knowledge of photographic techniques.

The Medical Media Challenge Summarized

Handling DICOM and non-DICOM formats in radiology imagery is often translated to heavy work and complexity. There are several challenges that make these images hard to access. For example, places with a central data access system may encounter a lack of proper IT infrastructure in remote locations.

Radiologists are often required to burn the images onto individual CDs for patients, which is both costly and time-consuming. There is also the hassle of having to process outside CDs into the PACs.

The Image Exchange Challenge Summarized

For healthcare companies, the process of exchanging electronic medical data can become timely and costly, as well as potentially slow-down the rest of the business workflow and productivity. Here are some of the associated challenges:

• They require the building of a dedicated system that handles electronic health record software solutions (EHR) which are quite expensive..
• There are ongoing costs of: Compact Discs, Ink Cartridges, Disc Publishers, Service Plans and Shipping Fees.
• There is risk of data leakage.
• The staff generally needs extra time of training to understand the system.