Teleradiology usage and user satisfaction with the telemedicine system operated by médecins sans frontières.

Jarred Halton,Cara Kosack,Richard Wootton,Savvas Andronikou,Elizabeth Joekes,William E Brant,Laurent Bonnardot,Saskia Spijker,Karen Chetcuti

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2014.00202

Abstract

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began a pilot trial of store-and-forward telemedicine in 2010, initially operating separate networks in English, French, and Spanish; these were merged into a single, multilingual platform in 2013. We reviewed the pattern of teleradiology usage on the MSF telemedicine platform in the 4-year period from April 2010. In total, 564 teleradiology cases were submitted from 22 different countries. A total of 1114 files were uploaded with the 564 cases, the majority being of type JPEG (n = 1081, 97%). The median file size was 938 kb (interquartile range, IQR 163–1659). A panel of 14 radiologists was available to report cases, but most (90%) were reported by only 4 radiologists. The median radiologist response time was 6.1 h (IQR 3.0–20). A user satisfaction survey was sent to 29 users in the last 6 months of the study. There was a 28% response rate. Most respondents found the radiologist’s advice helpful and all of them stated that the advice assisted in clarification of a diagnosis. Although some MSF sites made substantial use of the system for teleradiology, there is considerable potential for expansion. More promotion of telemedicine may be needed at different levels of the organization to increase engagement of staff.

Highlights

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical humanitarian emergency organization, operates in resource-limited settings where there are often difficulties in accessing good quality medical imaging services, such as X-ray and ultrasound
MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of all cases sent for radiologist consultation from April 2010 to March 2014 from data extracted from the MSF telemedicine system
The median radiologist response time, which includes the delay in allocation, was 6.1 h (IQR 3.0–20), which is based on 563 cases

Summary

Introduction

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical humanitarian emergency organization, operates in resource-limited settings where there are often difficulties in accessing good quality medical imaging services, such as X-ray and ultrasound. In 2012, MSF was operating at approximately 750 locations (field sites) globally, most did not have X-ray or ultrasound imaging facilities available on site [2]. Of the sites with X-ray and ultrasound imaging available, some were MSF installed and operated, while others used local ministry of health services. In 2010, MSF began a pilot project to provide its field sites (places where MSF provides health care services) with access to a network of specialists through a store-and-forward telemedicine platform based on the Collegium Telemedicus system [3]. The MSF telemedicine (tele-expertise) system provides field doctors with access to a very wide range of specialists, including radiologists

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion