Summary

  • A teleradiology pilot project was conducted by Royal Alexandra Hospital  for Children,  Camperdown, and  Nepean  Hospital, Sydney,  a distance  of 48 km.
  • 575 paediatric X-rays at full resolution were  transmitted over  a three-month period.
  • The results  demonstrated that  it was possible  to transmit paediatric chest images of diagnostic quality  in a reliable and  secure  manner. The images were transmitted in an average time of 3.2 minutes per  image,  which  was considered to be an acceptable  level of service.
  • Costs were  analysed in terms  of transmission, equipment, maintenance and staff components. The results  indicated  that the cost per image  transmitted would  vary from $83.44 for 2,500 images per year to $34.00 for 10,000 images per year.
  • Experience with  the pilot study suggested that  the introduction of secure high­ quality  paediatric telemedicine into  the Australian health  communications network  is feasible.  Adoption of such  technology would  have  major implications for paediatric health  care, including improvements in patient management due  to a quicker  diagnosis and  earlier  intervention, and savings through  avoiding transfer  of some emergency cases.