A review of the experience with teleradiology in Australia

Because of the geographical dispersion of the Australian population (25-30% of the total population of 20 million live outside metropolitan areas), th ere has been considerable interest in the use of teleradiology. In general, the provision of teleradiology by private radiology practices has been suc cessful. However, as regards the provision of publicly funded, statewide te leradiology services, progress has been slower than expected, following ent husiastic support for the technology in the early 1990s. While there have b een some notable successes in the implementation of publicly funded telerad iology services, given the delays that have been experienced in Australia, there is a case for a closer connection between the conduct of teleradiolog y evaluation studies and the incorporation of the results into health polic y. This link would ensure that the benefits of technology are made availabl e to the public in as short a time as possible.