Image Exchange in the Middle East: a Survey

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Medical Imaging Technology
• Digital Health

Background:

• A shift towards enterprise imaging approaches over traditional radiology-focused methods is increasing.
• Middle Eastern countries participated in a survey to assess medical image exchange.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the major benefits and shared challenges of Medical Image Exchange in the Middle East.
• To understand the current state and future needs for advancing internet-based image exchange in the region.

Main Methods:

• Survey of Middle Eastern countries regarding their experiences with Medical Image Exchange.
• Analysis of reported benefits, challenges, and infrastructure requirements.

Main Results:

• Key benefits include fast access to images/reports, enabling tele-services, improving patient journey/workflow/diagnosis, and enhancing patient engagement.
• Major challenges identified are lack of enterprise imaging governance, inadequate infrastructure for large data volumes, and interoperability issues across specialties.
• A need exists to expand beyond radiology to include pathology, ophthalmology, and dermatology images, with a call for guidance and funding for internet-based exchange.

Conclusions:

• Medical Image Exchange offers significant advantages but requires robust governance and infrastructure.
• Addressing interoperability and expanding scope beyond radiology are crucial for future development.
• International collaboration is needed to support the transition to advanced, internet-based imaging systems in the region.