Teleradiology for Rural Hospitals: Analysis of a Field Study

E A Franken, K S Berbaum, W L Smith, P J Chang, D A Owen, G R Bergus

doi:10.1177/1357633x9500100403

Teleradiology for Rural Hospitals: Analysis of a Field Study

DOI Web Site 被引用文献1件

E A Franken

Department of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA
K S Berbaum

Department of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA
W L Smith

Department of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA
P J Chang

Department of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA
D A Owen

Department of Radiology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA
G R Bergus

Department of Family Practice, University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA

説明

<jats:p>We compared the accuracy of a low-cost teleradiology system with plain film at a small rural hospital. The comparison was a case-control, paired-comparison study. In total 377 consecutive cases were read prospectively by teleradiology and later by independent interpretation of the plain films. ‘Truth’ was determined in discrepant cases by further investigation of available records and images. Sensitivity and specificity were determined for each modality, and agreement using the kappa statistic. There was 90% agreement between teleradiology and plain film, with no significant differences. Sensitivities (0.88, 0.89) and specificities (0.98, 0.98) of the two methods were almost identical. McNemar's test indicated no significant differences in the accuracy of the two modalities. We conclude that inexpensive teleradiology for small rural hospitals is equivalent to plain film for radiologists' interpretation.</jats:p>