40-year-old Rani (name changed) in Kerala (Southern state of India) had a Barking cough along with episodes of breathing problems. Many times, had consulted many physicians to get relief from her racking cough which used to get aggravated during the winter season. This year Rani consulted a pulmonologist who listened to her medical history patiently and advised her for a chest CT. The Radiologist who was seeing the CT image had doubts of history and finding mismatch and discussed it with a pulmonologist then reported the presence of a metallic foreign body, and she got referred to a tertiary center with a Bronchoscope facility. The lodged metal (whistle) got removed, and it shocked Rani. She remembered her childhood whistle incident and got relieved to breathe with ease. Whistle… a fun toy brings in many tangy fun-filled childhood memories. And seeing the metal whistle, remembered that she had swallowed one in her childhood while playing with her friends. Scared of getting a scolding from her parents, she drank loads of water to dislodge it and remained silent about the whole incident with her parents. And with progressing time, this incident faded away from her memory. But the lodged whistle did not remain silent. It kept causing.
Many hidden subtle factors have played a crucial role in restoring the easeful breathing of Rani.
- The multiple one-to-one communication between pulmonologist and teleradiologist benefited both caregivers.
- Teleradiologists‘ experience and the back-and-forth interaction with pulmonologists helped in the identification of the abnormality as a foreign body and encouraged the pulmonologist to refer the patient to a tertiary center for removal of the foreign body.
- The communication between the pulmonologist and endoscopy surgeon at the tertiary center resulted in the successful removal of the impacted whistle and smooth recovery of the patient.
The information related to medical history, current illness, physical examination findings, and other diagnostic investigational reports helps the teleradiologists in providing the referring physician with accurate diagnosis and thus helps decide on an appropriate treatment plan with their interpretation. They make deliberate attempts at avoiding any underrating or overlooking of certain possibilities.
Today, programmers, system designers, and developers have incorporated multiple modes of communication (voice/video conferencing like face to face, text or voice messages/chatbox, emails, etc.) into PACS. The different verbal and written communications have enabled the possibility of instant and face-to-face interaction breaking the anonymous barrier aiding the collaboration and understanding between the referring physician and teleradiologists; eliminating the assumption of nameless/faceless association between the distanced healthcare providers.
Good, effective communication is an integral part of good patient care. The contemporary gadgets, programs & systems have enabled a faster, reliable communication platform adding value to the caregiver and patient relationship resulting in higher scores of patient satisfaction. Effective communication of referring physicians with his patients ensures a better understanding of the clinical situation facilitating better decision-making by patient / supporting family members and their involvement in treatment management.
Cloudex Radiology Solutions communicates with Referring Clients aiding diagnosis and clinical decision …
“I want to express my gratitude to Cloudex and Drs. because of whom all this was possible …”
Whatsapp messages received to express thanks by Rani’s Pulmonologist says it all.
Our team of experienced, qualified & expert Teleradiologists and PACS administrators understand the significance of communication and work closely with referring client’s team.
Various initiatives incorporated for communication are as follows:
- The protocols are customized based on the type of imaging modality, involved body parts, and the patient’s critical condition.
- Ensuring receipt of various information along with image transfer for a better understanding of situation/interpretation and saving on TAT.
- The administrators managing the advanced PACS are quick in attending to the queries raised by reporting radiologists and coordinate with the referring client’s team, especially in cases of emergency.
- The Teleradiologists raise the red flag to get either the additional information from the referring caterer for a better understanding of the situation from the referring Physician.
- If needed, textual/verbal communication is facilitated between the reporting radiologists and referring physicians for the achievement of the desired goal – delivery of appropriate patient care.
The whistle removal story whistles loudly that communication is the key to the success of a team. Here everyone- patient, tertiary center, pulmonologist, and teleradiologist succeeded. The communication between the pulmonologist and teleradiologist improved the working relationship between these care providers and helped the referring physician inaccurate diagnosis and planning of further care, thus gaining the confidence and satisfaction score of patients as winning edge among his peers.
At Cloudex, we support you to have that winning edge.