Telesonography: Foundations and Future Directions

Abstract

The practice of telesonography has yielded promising results in several domestic and international projects aimed at providing basic sonography services. Common themes that recur within telesonography-based research include the quality of transmitted images, clinical applications, and technical and nontechnical barriers to implementation. The research base continues to grow in concert with expanding telecommunications capabilities and refinement of small portable sonographic devices. Persistent barriers to the deployment of telesonography systems include a lack of telecommunications access, a lack of standard training and operational protocols, and a paucity of research regarding the long-term health impact of telesonography within target communities. Telesonography may be used directly to improve the standard of care within a given community; however, limited resources and interest may prevent sustained operations. Future projects may use telesonography to supplement the training of health care providers in remote locations in an effort to establish permanent sonography services for their respective communities.

Weekend courses on ultrasonography as a form of teaching knowledge and the skills necessary to perform ultrasounds in the family physician’s practice

“…this result corresponds with the findings reported by latalski et al, who demonstrated that GPs perceive their knowledge and skills as inadequate, and thus they often need help from more experienced colleagues [11]. Persistent barriers to the deployment of telesonography systems include a lack of telecommunications access, a lack of standard training and operational protocols and a scarcity of research regarding the long-term health impact of telesonography within target communities [28]. to enable family physicians to consult online, it is necessary to develop a teleinformatic infrastructure for the entire health care system.…”

Teleultrasound: Historical Perspective and Clinical Application

“…Among the different areas of teleradiology, teleultrasonography is potentially the safest and least expensive area because it does not utilize ionizing radiation and is affordable [3, 4]. Investigators in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia were the pioneers in this research and in carrying out pilot studies [5–9].…”

“…Within these two categories of research, there are three recurring themes that are relevant to the successful implementation of a teleultrasonography system: (a) the quality of the transmitted images; (b) clinical applications; (c) the nontechnical and technical barriers to implementation [4]. …”

“…Advances in telecommunications and signal processing and the relatively high resolution currently available for portable ultrasound equipment greatly increase the potential clinical applications of teleultrasonography. The remaining technical and logistical barriers include the availability of telecommunications in the desired areas and the training of medical professionals involved in the transmission, reception, and analysis of the images [4, 29]. …”

“…However, generating and interpreting ultrasound images are highly operator-dependent. As a result, performance and interpretation of these examinations have traditionally been limited to medical specialists [3, 4]. Although some remote areas have access to basic primary care services, including X-rays and ultrasound, they frequently lack specialized radiologists and ultrasonographers [5].…”