Integration defines Europe's latest informatics efforts

In Spain, 14 regional hospitals are linking together to share imaging data. In the U.K., a three-hospital PACS, RIS, and HIS network allows radiologists at any of the hospitals to retrieve and read studies to improve overall workflow. Remote imaging sites on Croatia's many islands can feed studies back to a subspecialty center for expert reading.

Throughout Europe, radiology departments are networking, not just with other hospital departments, but around a region, or throughout a given country. Radiology integration is raising standards, streamlining workloads, and putting complicated cases in the hands of those most qualified to read them. The trend is part of a push toward overall healthcare information integration. As Erwin Bellon notes, radiology increasingly operates within the realm of overall hospital informatics, with shared storage and well-defined requirements for interconnectivity.

This conference report, summarizing key presentations at the 2004 EuroPACS and Management in Radiology conference, paints the picture of a European healthcare environment that is more collaborative and unified than ever.