Human Factors and Human-Computer Considerations in Teleradiology and Telepathology.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Elizabeth Krupinski, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-02-19
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare2010094
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Healthcare
• ISSN: 2227-9032
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 94
• End Page: 114
• Keywords: human factors; telepathology; displays; teleradiology; workstations
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Radiology; Health Sciences, Pathology

Abstract

Radiology and pathology are unique among other clinical specialties that incorporate telemedicine technologies into clinical practice, as, for the most part in traditional practice, there are few or no direct patient encounters. The majority of teleradiology and telepathology involves viewing images, which is exactly what occurs without the "tele" component. The images used are generally quite large, require dedicated displays and software for viewing, and present challenges to the clinician who must navigate through the presented data to render a diagnostic decision or interpretation. This digital viewing environment is very different from the more traditional reading environment (i.e., film and microscopy), necessitating a new look at how to optimize reading environments and address human factors issues. This paper will review some of the key components that need to be optimized for effective and efficient practice of teleradiology and telepathology using traditional workstations as well as some of the newer mobile viewing applications.