The practice of radiology is changing. Technology is driving new practices and ways of working, health systems are becoming more complex, and the needs of patients are evolving. What do we need to do to change with it?

We've brought together some of the brightest people we work with to form the Barco Visionary Panel and to share their views and insight. We'll be hearing a lot more from them in the next few months, but we spoke to them recently to get their thoughts on a very hot topic - increasing productivity and managing radiology workload:

Barco: Let's think big picture first - what do you see as the major challenges for delivering services in the near future?

Erik R. Ranschaert, Radiologist at Jeroen Bosch, The Netherlands: Everyone in a hospital or healthcare setting, not just the radiologists, is dealing with an increase in digital information. For us, it's quantitative data, and we need to integrate with information coming from other clinicians. We're having to get better at sharing, viewing and archiving data between clinicians and increasingly between sites.

Barco: Is that a challenge or an opportunity?

Erik: It's both - it'll give us more access to more data, which is really positive in a world of more complex examinations, but it's a new way of working which we as clinicians, as well as managers of health systems, will have to get used to.

Barco: Is technology driving change in practice, or are your needs driving technological development?

Olivier Vanovermeire, Head of Radiology at AZ Groeninge, Belgium: It's both - new technologies enable us to carry out ever more complex and extensive scans, which is a very positive development for patients. But managing this information can be a burden. If data could be automatically integrated into reports, that would help us manage workflow. We have great technology; we now need to get better at using it as efficiently as possible, particularly when it is being used in meetings, and especially when those meetings involve clinicians from multiple sites.

What's also increasing is demand from clinicians - so, for example, an oncologist will ask for a specific report before they can treat their patient with pancreatic cancer, and we need to know that sooner. We all need to work closer together to make the best use of the new technology we have.

Barco: Do you think the radiologists' environment plays a part in increasing productivity and improving workflow?

Erik: Definitely. We're moving towards having bigger, lighter spaces that facilitate real-time collaboration and reporting, both within the hospital and with clinicians in other centers. This can only improve efficiency as well improve the quality of reporting.

What's really exciting is moving radiologists out of an isolated, dark reading room and really placing them at the center of what's going on in a hospital - guiding surgeons in real time and so on. This not only makes the working environment more efficient but it also improves quality and standards. It's really allowing radiologists to play a part in the interaction between clinician and patient.

Barco: We know from research that an aspect not often considered is comfort, and the ergonomics of the reading room. What is the impact of changing practices on today's radiologists?

Albert Xthona, Barco: Yes, we hear a lot about doing more for less, and the Panel has talked about the impact of increasing complexity. Radiologists experience a lot of strain - hands, neck, eyes - all of which impact their ability to read efficiently for extended periods of time. If we're asking yet more of them - more collaboration, more complex reads - we have to ensure their environment is optimized to support that. Technology needs to be developed with radiologists' needs first, from how it looks to how easy it is to physically adjust to suit individual preferences, for example.

Barco: Here's a tricky question for you all - what does the future hold, and how will this impact productivity?

Erik: Mobile technology is interesting - screens could become smaller and that would change the job of radiologists too, as well as how we work, but it's difficult to know exactly how yet. As images become easier to share, will we see outsourcing, with expert groups reporting on specific diseases? Uptake of this may depend on the individual country's health systems, but it could impact productivity, efficiency and, of course, cost.

Albert: It's an interesting time to be a radiologist - it's a speciality that has evolved significantly over the last few years and is set to continue that evolution. Really these changes are both in response to and in advance of the way healthcare is changing. It's exciting, but as a group we need to embrace the changes that help us deliver better care for patients.

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