Enabling real-time tracking of ultrasound studies
The FileMaker solution has transformed IMBUS training. In addition to the exam results from physicians’ iPhones, images from the portable ultrasound machines are sent wirelessly to the same server where they can be correlated with the FileMaker database. The FileMaker database assembles totals for each type of exam performed by the physician, as well as a repository of specific exam findings for teaching purposes.
From the FileMaker solution, trainers can analyze whether the bedside ultrasound findings match formal imaging studies that are conducted independently. Most important, trainers can evaluate a trainee’s experience and accuracy for each type of ultrasound exam. In addition, physicians can track their own progress using the FileMaker Go app on iPhone.
“The mobile component is essential as it allows physicians to enter the ultrasound record at the time of the exam,” asserts Tierney. “It’s critical to ensuring that studies are entered reliably and immediately. FileMaker is a very robust platform that accommodated everything we needed. And it still leaves plenty of room for future enhancements.”
Ultimately, the greatest value of Abbott Northwestern’s IMBUS program is the daily impact it’s having on patient care. By providing real-time visualization right at the patient’s bedside, portable ultrasound is a powerful tool for diagnosis, efficient treatment, and an excellent way to advance the overall quality of the traditional physical exam.
Says Tierney, “In the end, it is all about taking the best possible care of patients using the tools we have available. If ultrasound can fit in our little black bag, it is wrong for it not to be there. FileMaker is helping us make bedside ultrasound part of our standard tool set.”