Princess Alexandra Hospital eliminates backlog after introducing enterprise imaging solution

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow, is operating without a backlog of radiology reporting cases following the installation of Agfa’s Enterprise Imaging (EI) solution and a 45 per cent increase in staff productivity.

The imaging platform, which offers intuitive use, embedded clinical tools and a powerful workflow engine, has meant that staff can complete eight radiology cases a minute on average, three more than they were averaging on a previous system.

Imaging system manager Stephen Townrow said: “The holy grail is zero backlog. Staff used to be working flat out but now they can take regular breaks, improving their working day and potentially their attention to detail.”

Time savings are a result of functionality such as instant retrieval/image access and real-time workload updates that allow staff to manage their time more effectively.

In addition, the automated report function allows staff to provide GP reports within 24 hours, meaning that patients are seen and treated more quickly.

Townrow added: “We wanted one system to increase efficiency; a system that was highly available with no downtime and if we encountered a worst-case scenario we’d have a back-up. We also wanted to improve patient care and reduce the margin for error on our wards.”

The trust is rolling out Agfa EI across other departments, while exploring how it can integrate with AI.

Published on page 19 of the December 2019 issue of RAD Magazine.