SEATTLE — Those needing an X-ray or MRI scan may see growing wait times as an aging U.S. population increases demand for medical imaging. Additionally, a shrinking workforce of radiologists and technologists is putting an extra strain on radiology departments.
However, a few University of Washington researchers hope to curb that demand ― by automating radiology equipment.
“Right now, we face escalating demand for imaging and image-guided procedures. Patient cases are more complex, and we are being asked to do more, too. It’s no longer just do a scan and write a report,” said Dr. Dushyant Sahani with the University of Washington School of Medicine. “If we don’t innovate, we’ll either burn out or have to deny people care.”
Dr. Sahani, alongside department chair Professor Paul Kinahan, hope to create “a seamless digital journey for [our] patients” as UW Medicine Radiology “explores commercial technologies to automate patients’ experience of care.”
“There is evidence that, by extracting detailed data from CT images, radiologists might be able to predict patients’ risk of future events and chronic conditions,” said Dr. Sahani.
They are exploring new collaborations with companies such as GE Healthcare, optimizing their AI tools to streamline different systems such as administrative tasks, clinical documentation, and more.
Kinahan suggests that by exploring automation’s advantages, UW Medicine radiologists might be able to ‘keep a firm footing in the research that drives their field forward.’
“Patients are first, but if we want to improve care, we have to continue to innovate. And for us to get any innovations into practice, we have to work with industry. New capabilities help us, and partners get our feedback about how their software or hardware might be more useful, even with some small change,” he said.
For more information, visit the UW Medicine website.