Pathologists working in different parts of Australia will be able to share gigabyte-sized image files and perform a diagnosis together following the rollout of a networked digital repository.
The Hitachi Content Platform (HCP), bundled with Pixcelldata’s Collibio software, allows pathologists access to review and collaborate using images from proprietary scanner systems.
HCP is an information repository that houses images, referrals, reports and associated metadata.
The Collibio digital pathology software connects to existing image archives and makes cases accessible across departments and facilities, encouraging collaboration between pathologists, researchers and students.
The system was selected by virtual work environment service provider ConnectingSpaces for use by the biosecurity sector.
Speaking to Computerworld Australia, ConnectingSpaces CEO Doctor Joanne Banyer said that image files had been held in isolation across organisations in Australia and could not be accessed by other pathologists.
“That impacts on the amount of time to access historical information which is very important when you are making a diagnostic about a disease or need a second opinion from a practitioner who is working in another part of the country,” she said.
“This [HCP] capability enables networking and linking those [image] repositories. It also provides a virtual working environment where pathologists can come together, bring up the necessary images and collaborate in real time.”
I-MED bones up on X-ray iPad app
University of Melbourne investigates unified storage
Western Water avoids drowning in data with storage upgrade
At this stage, pathologists in the vet, wildlife and aquatic areas are trialling the system.
However, Banyer said that image diagnosis is required across biosecurity and human health so there is opportunity to broaden the system’s availability to other sectors.
While it was “early days” for the rollout of the HCP system, she said ConnectingSpaces had received positive feedback from the pathologist who have been testing and evaluating it.
“One of the things we found that was most useful in terms of adoption was to showcase examples of the capability and taking it to the pathologist community,” Banyer said.
Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick
Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia