The principal impediments in implementing a teleradiological radiotherapy network are not technological in nature, according to a Norwegian hospital. They are psychological.
Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo recently reported lessons learned after six years of distributing radiotherapy services to two satellite hospitals hundreds of kilometers apart via a teleradiology network (Stud Health Technol Inform 2008;134:209-216).
"The main lesson learned is that the most serious obstacles are not technological but sociopsychological challenges," said Dr. Albrecht Reith of the hospital's pathology department.
Successful implementation of distributed teleradiological radiation therapy requires more focus on educating and motivating the staff in using the technology for changing work practice, according to Reith.
"This requires an altered mindset," he said.
It was achieved at NRH through weekly educational sessions with staff at the satellite units and the main clinic. Until recent efforts typified by the pioneering work at NRH, teleradiology has rarely been used in radiation therapy. Reith expects that to change."
Based on the nature of radiation therapy, with the vast amount of digital information characteristic of the therapeutic process, one can expect that telemedicine in radiation therapy will become important in improving the quality of these procedures," he said.
