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mattk22359
Guest
Hi. I work for a large hospital. We have a project we are just starting that will include uploading digital images to our electronic medical record. These images are clincal documents that are used, for example to document clincial procedures among other things. I actually work in the information technology department and am not a clinician myself, although one of my project managers is managing this project.
One of the requirements our clinicians have identified for us is the need to add certain clinical and/or patient identifying data elements to each image file. For example, they want to include the patients medical record number and a few other data elements (specifics TBD) such as diagnosis, body location (left arm), etc.
Another requirement is that this identifying information be added to the image files as early in the workflow as possible (preferably when the image is being captured) to minimize the possibility of errors if images were tagged later. Example, adding patient As medical record number to patient Bs image file.
After doing a little reading it seems as though there are at least a couple of different digital image metadata formats (EXIF, IPTC) that are used to add metadata to image files. I've also started reading about the use of a camera in a tethered configuration which might help facilitate adding this metadata at time of capture.
What we are trying to determine at this point is whether or not there is a package of hardware (camera) and software that might make this process of grabbing, tagging, and saving the image to a PC drive straightforward vs. cumbersome for the clinician.
Once the files are tagged and uploaded onto a file share our electronic medical records system already has the ability for the clinician to open the patients elec medical record, browse to find the image file on a local or network drive, and attach the image file to the record. It is the first part of the workflow involving the capturing, "tagging" of clinical/patient information, and moving the file to the PC drive that we are not sure how to deal with at this point.
I hope this is an appropriate forum to ask this type of question. If it is not my appologies in advance.
Any insight into how one might tackle such a need and/or where I might go to explore various options, software companies I might contact, etc. for doing this would be very helpful.
Thanks!
Matt Kennedy
One of the requirements our clinicians have identified for us is the need to add certain clinical and/or patient identifying data elements to each image file. For example, they want to include the patients medical record number and a few other data elements (specifics TBD) such as diagnosis, body location (left arm), etc.
Another requirement is that this identifying information be added to the image files as early in the workflow as possible (preferably when the image is being captured) to minimize the possibility of errors if images were tagged later. Example, adding patient As medical record number to patient Bs image file.
After doing a little reading it seems as though there are at least a couple of different digital image metadata formats (EXIF, IPTC) that are used to add metadata to image files. I've also started reading about the use of a camera in a tethered configuration which might help facilitate adding this metadata at time of capture.
What we are trying to determine at this point is whether or not there is a package of hardware (camera) and software that might make this process of grabbing, tagging, and saving the image to a PC drive straightforward vs. cumbersome for the clinician.
Once the files are tagged and uploaded onto a file share our electronic medical records system already has the ability for the clinician to open the patients elec medical record, browse to find the image file on a local or network drive, and attach the image file to the record. It is the first part of the workflow involving the capturing, "tagging" of clinical/patient information, and moving the file to the PC drive that we are not sure how to deal with at this point.
I hope this is an appropriate forum to ask this type of question. If it is not my appologies in advance.
Any insight into how one might tackle such a need and/or where I might go to explore various options, software companies I might contact, etc. for doing this would be very helpful.
Thanks!
Matt Kennedy