X-ray machines go wireless to improve patient care

Patients can now get a clinical decision and treatment faster thanks to mobile and theatre x-ray machines here at Medway being connected to our WiFi network which has been upgraded to improve reliability and reach.

Previously, our radiographers had to return to the General Imaging Department to connect machines to a network port before and after carrying out portable or theatre x-rays to download patient details and then upload images to our Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) which is used to store and view medical images. This process often meant multiple unnecessary journeys between wards, theatres and the General Imaging Department — adding pressure to already busy teams and causing avoidable delays.

Now, with WiFi connectivity in place, radiographers can download patient records and send images to PACS from anywhere in the hospital.

Natalie Harris-Sims, General Imaging and Interventional Radiology Lead, said: “The benefits for patients are that radiographers are able to respond more quickly to requests for portable x-rays to be carried out on wards, and because clinical teams can access the images faster it means treatment can begin sooner.

“For our radiographers, the change significantly reduces the time they spend travelling back and forth across the hospital, allowing them to move more efficiently between patients. In theatres, worklists can be downloaded ahead of procedures, ensuring images are automatically sent to the correct patient record and reducing the need for manual intervention by the PACS Team who previously had to access each image and manually move them into the correct patient’s imaging folder online.”

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