Integrating Patient Digital Photographs with Medical Imaging Examinations

Abstract

We introduce the concept, benefits, and general architecture for acquiring, storing, and displaying digital photographs along with medical imaging examinations. We also discuss a specific implementation built around an Android-based system for simultaneously acquiring digital photographs along with portable radiographs. By an innovative application of radiofrequency identification technology to radiographic cassettes, the system is able to maintain a tight relationship between these photographs and the radiographs within the picture archiving and communications system (PACS) environment. We provide a cost analysis demonstrating the economic feasibility of this technology. Since our architecture naturally integrates with patient identification methods, we also address patient privacy issues.

A Novel Technology for Automatically Obtaining Digital Facial Photographs Near-Simultaneously with Portable Radiographs

“…In a previous design [3], the device used a RFID tag on the cassette. While this passive RFID device required no battery power, it had the drawback of requiring an additional step for the technologist-the requirement to scan the cassette at the RFID reader.…”

“…2 and 3). In contrast to the earlier design [3] that actively requested identification information from a radiofrequency identifier (RFID) tagged cassette, the new design is fully automatic. The IM wirelessly transmits its Plate_ID when the patient is imaged.…”

“…Hypothesizing that capturing point-of-care patient photographs along with radiographs increases the detection of wrong-patient errors, we previously described a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) enhancement that would permit automatic and simultaneous acquisition, transmission, storage, and viewing of photographs and radiographs [3]. Subsequently, through observer studies [4,5], we demonstrated that the addition of photographs to portable radiographs could significantly increase the detection rate of simulated wrong-patient errors.…”

Stakeholders’ Perceptions Regarding the Use of Patient Photographs Integrated with Medical Imaging Studies

“…An individual's name, date of birth, assigned identification number, telephone number, or other person-specific numbers are considered acceptable patient identifiers [5]. Integrating patients' digital facial photographs as identifiers (ID) with medical imaging (integrated photographic ID) [6] (Fig. 1) has been shown to increase the detection of mislabeled studies in adults [7,8].…”

“…We have previously described a system that can automatically obtain patient digital photographs simultaneously with portable chest radiographs [6]. These patient facial photographs are automatically converted into Digital Image and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format, integrated with the medical imaging studies, and stored as a single integrated folder in the Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS).…”