Northern Ireland has become the first UK region to combine pathology and radiology images and reports in the same medical imaging system, as pathology goes live with Sectra that will modernise diagnostics for healthcare professionals and patients.
Health and Social Care Service in Northern Ireland has successfully digitised pathology diagnostic images and reports into an innovative medical imaging system that will help to future-proof diagnostics for healthcare professionals and benefit patients across the region.
The digital pathology project, which has been implemented by Business Services Organisation (BSO ITS), is part of Northern Ireland’s Picture Archiving and Communication System (NIPACS), which already helps busy radiologists make important decisions, and will now also help pathologists respond to the increasing demands being placed on services.
Pathologists across the region, perform around 40 million diagnostic tests each year. Owing to the implementation of digital pathology, microscopes and glass slides are being replaced by high-quality digital images that pathologists can access from almost anywhere. This is enabled through the digital solution that has now been implemented region-wide across four HSC trusts, following several go-lives since an addendum contract signing in 2019.
Radiologists in the region already use the same PACS to examine X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs and more, all of which is also now instantly available alongside pathology images in a single imaging record, to help healthcare professionals make more informed judgements around cases.
The success of the digital pathology project has also received great support from clinical professionals in Northern Ireland, with the way workload and turnaround times of important reports is managed is also undergoing change. The implementation of the digital pathology project has been supported by medical imaging supplier Sectra.
With more than 30 years of innovation and approaching 2000 installations worldwide, Sectra is a leading global provider of imaging IT solutions that support healthcare in achieving patient-centred care. Sectra offers an enterprise imaging solution that provides a unified strategy for all imaging needs while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution, with a VNA at its core, allows healthcare providers to grow from enterprise to enterprise.
Visit Sectra’s website to learn more.
