EuroPACS reveals hidden high-tech capital

By: Paula Gould, Associate Editor

Finland proved to be a highly popular location for the 20th EuroPACS annual meeting. Perhaps it was the chance to visit a destination not normally included on the well-worn European conference circuit that drew so many registrants from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and the U.K. Or maybe delegates were merely curious about a country known for its long, dark winter nights and endless summer evenings, which has emerged as a world leader in Internet and communications technology.

The conference theme, "From local to mobile" aptly summarizes the approach to PACS being taken in Finnish healthcare. In a country where 75% of the land mass is covered by forest (not to mention the 190,000 lakes and small islands), solutions are needed to speed up transfer of medical information among remote communities, primary healthcare physicians, small district hospitals, and specialist referral units. Regional schemes are gaining acceptance in place of institution-wide PACS. And projects are under way to determine how wireless technology can help consultants become more mobile.

Many of the 350 radiologists, IT researchers, and PACS managers attending the September meeting took advantage of a precongress stopover in Helsinki, where an ambitious districtwide PACS project is nearing completion. One hour's flight farther north brought delegates to the university city of Oulu, for two and a half days of presentations by speakers from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Session topics included purchasing strategies, security, integration, and workflow. This conference reporter provides a flavor of the many practical issues covered.

Hospitals and health centers across Finland are forging ahead with electronic solutions to managing imaging data. I made a note on leaving EuroPACS 2002 to keep a closer eye on developments in Scandinavia in the future.