Back Pain Leads to Incurable Passion for Medical Imaging Technology

It was 1996, and I was lying on my back looking up and around me at an enormous CT scanning machine that was going to help my doctor understand why my back was hurting.

My thoughts should have been on what the scan would reveal, but as an electrical engineering student in his last semester of university, the only thing on my mind was, “I wish I could service a machine like this!”

Despite my enthusiasm, I lay still for the exam. The images were sent to my doctor and my back pain was diagnosed and treated. However, there was no cure for my interest in medical imaging.

As luck would have it, the final requirement for my degree was a six-month field engineer training period with a private company, and I was assigned to work for the company distributing and servicing CT machines – including the very machine used to examine my back.

During that training period, when I worked on all types of X-ray, NUC ?and CT machines, my passion for these systems only grew.

A lot has changed in the medical imaging industry since I received that first CT scan, most visibly regarding the size of the machines. At the time of my injury CT scanners were huge pieces of equipment, with massive mechanical, technical, power, and cooling requirements. They used movie film to capture images, then would unwind the film to view the results.

Today, that same machine weighs much less, has a significantly smaller footprint, requires less energy, and involves a much smaller radiation dose. Where once, these systems had be on the ground floor, now, they can be located almost anywhere.

While image quality has improved, it is the speed of image collection that has really evolved: from up to two minutes to take and review an image when I began, today’s machines can produce 60 images per second. Back then, to scan the average patient would take around 20 ?minutes. Today, you can do a full body scan in less than 10 seconds – powered by AI and faster scanning and image construction.

The future of medical imaging

While much has changed, looking to the future, there is much more to come, with four main themes impacting medical imaging. All of them help to enhance the patient experience.

First, clinicians will increasingly depend on data and AI to optimize use of these systems. This is not only about enabling even faster and more detailed scans, but also about improving workflows at hospitals and clinics.?

The second theme is about bridging the gap between the number of practicing medical personnel and the demand for their services, a mismatch expected to continue as healthcare needs grow. Digitization, remote monitoring and AI will help technicians, nurses and doctors serve this growing patient load, reach more patients in more remote locations, and deliver better care and outcomes. This technology will give them more time to spend with patients as administrative tasks are automated.

The third theme is precision healthcare, the long-term goal of using digital healthcare technologies, data analytics and AI to distil actionable insight to deliver care designed specifically for each unique patient.

In the context of imaging, precision healthcare means bringing imaging systems closer to patients, rather than requiring patients to travel. This includes developing AI-powered mobile apps that can perform health assessments and even certain scans. An early example of this is a GE医疗 portable ultrasound that fits in the palm of the hand. This level of care will save patients travel time and will reduce emergency department visits – many of which today don’t actually require emergency care.

The fourth theme is the development of care pathways, which provide a different way for governments to visualize healthcare delivery. Rather than focusing on healthcare assets, it creates a holistic national framework for addressing specific diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, or breast cancer. It seeks to develop standard care protocols; identifies what equipment, testing, procedures and personnel will be required; and determines on a national scale how to implement prevention, treatment, and follow-on care to patients across the country. It engages both public and private sector healthcare providers. Deploying the right imaging equipment, with correct use protocols, to the right locations is an important component of each care pathway.

Providing the ‘eyes’ to save lives

I began by talking about my fascination for imaging technologies. But as I gained experience in this field, my passion for these machines was solidified by seeing the essential role this equipment plays in diagnosing and treating diseases, and save patients’ lives. I’m not a doctor, but by helping to bring these advanced imaging machines to communities across the region, we are giving radiologist, cardiologist, oncologist, OBGYNs and other healthcare providers critical visual information about what’s happening inside the bodies of their patients. We’re the “eyes” helping them peer inside to detect diseases earlier, improve treatments, and saves lives.

That’s what inspires me and all of us in the medical imaging team.

Nearly 25 years ago, I never could have imagined that my experience getting a CT scan could lead to such a fulfilling career. Yet, today, I am equally motivated and optimistic about the potential for future developments in this field. The patient experience, already much improved, will become even more seamless, convenient and pleasant. Hospitals will be less congested, providing ill patients with the care they need to heal and recover, while most patients receive treatment at home or other convenient locations.

Better experiences, better outcomes, and more patients treated – whether in a big city or a small remote community. Providers will enjoy more efficient and cost-effective operations; they will be able to accomplish more, with relatively less staff, even as their personnel have more time to spend with patients.

It’s a future that is clear to see, even without the benefit of advanced imaging technology.