Teleradiology at the tertiary-level Women's and Children's Hospital in South Australia

This article relates to a teleradiology trial undertaken in 1998-1999 at th e Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) in Adelaide, the capital of South A ustralia. The trial involved linking the hospital to a range of rural and r emote sites in South Australia and the Northern Territory. The main aim of the project was to evaluate the advantages, limitations, benefits, and cost s of a teleradiology service provided by WCH. The major finding from the st udy is that for a tertiary hospital providing second opinions in complex me dical cases, a new form of business justification is required for teleradio logy. The justification would include an emphasis on the range of high-leve l services that a subspecialist hospital such as the WCH can provide. The j ustification would also include the range of benefits to different parties, particularly the patient, and the intangible nature of many of the benefit s.