I-MED bones up on iPad X-ray app

Doctors in Queensland and Western Australia who have an iPad or iPhone are the first adopters of a new x-ray application designed by the I-MED Network.

However, I-MED has assured doctors in other states will not be left out, with plans to roll out the app to the rest of Australia by December this year.

The app enables doctors to view x-ray images and patient documents on their devices, and was designed to make the viewing of x-ray photos more convenient for doctors.

“It gives the referrers more mobility and the ability to look at urgent cases either after-hours or between clinics,” said Bart Dekker, I-MED chief information officer, to CIO Australia.

“It’s all part of a trial to make sure we have a product that meets the needs of our referring doctors and assists with patient care.

“The application is also about using cutting edge technology to get radiology scans and reports information to our referrers.”

Dekker said that some referrers may use their iPhone to look at the written report, while others may use the iPad to look at reports and x-ray images.

As the application has only been available for a week from the Apple iTunes store, there were no preliminary numbers available of how many medical professionals had downloaded it yet.

Dekker also said the IT team was looking to develop other applications, such as a tablet app for sonographers to write synopsis reports on instead of using paper.

In the future, the x-ray application may be developed for Google’s Android operating system. “In terms of internally within I-MED, we are very keen to look at how we can drive technology within our business to continue improving our service offerings and differentiate ourselves in the market place,” Dekker said.

“We’re also having discussions across the organisation with business units and general managers to see what is the most applicable tablet-based application that will assist us in our work flow and also to improve clinical care.”

Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick

Follow CIO Australia on Twitter: @CIO_Australia