Solution
This solution provides the Trust with a common platform for the storage and management of DICOM image data using the SynApps VNA and ECM platforms. The programme of work has encompassed a Radiology DICOM migration, which was tasked with the migration of 22TB of DICOM images from the trusts existing Sectra PACS system to the VNA platform. It also included a Cardiology DICOM migration, which integrated the Trust’s existing GE and Philips Echo Ultrasound modalities with the VNA for the ongoing archiving of new Cardiology study data; as well as an Obstetric DICOM migration from the Trust’s existing Astraia PACS solution to provide a long-term archive for this data.
Project Success
The VNA allows the trusts Sectra Radiology PACS solution to retrieve data on demand from the VNA. A zero-footprint web-based patient viewer was provided with the VNA to provide a timeline view of all Dicom data in the VNA. This viewer is used by the Cardiology department to view historical studies since they currently do not have a dedicated PACS solution.
Solution
The SynApps Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) solution enables the Trust to create a secure clinical portal that pulls data from multiple systems in multiple formats stored in their Documentum ECM platform. The data can now be accessed directly from any of the PACS systems connected to the VNA or from the VNA portal, which offers a simple web interface, allowing clinicians to view patient information anywhere, on any device. When new medical images are generated by radiology, cardiology or other departments, they can view all the patient data directly in the VNA. As a result, images can be accessed within three seconds, a significant improvement over the old process.
Project Success
When the Trust moved from their PACS provider, the implementation of the SynApps VNA and SynApps implementation approach meant that the subsequent migration was de-risked, data migration to the new PACS was faster and data was far cleaner.
The migration phases of the project involved 30TB of Radiology DICOM data covering 1.8M studies and 20TB of Cardiology Dicom covering 80,000 studies. The VNA based on the ECM platform now contains over 150TB of content (300M images) increasing by over 400,000 new studies each year.
The trust also successfully implemented a paper free medical record scanning solution based on this same ECM platform. This has further broadened the scope of patient data held within the platform. Clinicians now have immediate access to a broad range of DICOM and Non-DICOM content. This Medical Record archive has since grown to a size that nearly equals that of the original DICOM dataset over the last 2 years.
In addition, the trust has successfully integrated new free-standing Theatre Stackers (Endoscopy and Orthopaedic) directly with the VNA to provide for the archiving of the imaging data generated. This has provided clinicians across the trust with access to the data without needing to access the imaging devices directly.
