Minamiodaka Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Clinic

Interview with Dr. Yoshihiro Shibata

Minamiodaka Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Clinic now uses cloud products with tablets. In order to have a sophisticated and efficient system, SonicDICOM was chosen. All staffs can access cloud-based PACS from the rehabilitation room, and review images and prepare explanations for patients from home too.

Initiating further Collaboration between Clinics, Hospitals and Doctors

I have worked in hospitals for years as an orthopaedic surgeon, but treatment is not complete in hospitals alone. Local clinics and hospitals should collaborate with each other to provide treatment. I thought that if there were clinics that could go the extra mile with better collaboration, patients would be appreciative. The town, where we are located, is the most populated district in the city of Nagoya, but there are not enough hospitals that can provide inpatient surgery so many patients go to hospitals in central Nagoya. I decided to open a clinic in this area because I presumed there were many patients who needed a clinic that has established smooth collaboration with hospitals in the Nagoya area for sharing /exchanging DICOM data.

"Rehabilitation with Results”

There are many patients who have had surgery and rehabilitation during their hospital stay. However, as soon as they leave the hospital, they are left on their own for rehab. We strive to provide the same type of rehabilitation that is done during hospitalizations. Physiotherapists take the lead in providing one-on-one rehabilitation according to the patient's condition.

Using the Cloud to Improve Rehab

The SonicDICOM PACS Cloud enables all staff to access each patient’s images on any of our ten iPads easily. In most clinics, X-ray images are only viewed in the examination room, but our physiotherapists demand to view X-ray images while performing physical therapy in the rehab room. With the cloud-based PACS, the appropriate rehab per patient can be provided by grasping the patient’s condition on an iPad.

SonicDICOM is Highly Compatible with the Mac Environment

Both PACS and electronic medical records are in the cloud, and we are continuing to enhance our Mac-based system. Normally, it would be difficult to wire up terminals for X-rays, electronic medical records, and peripheral devices, but our clinic has a cloud-centered system, no cables under the desk. It is so nice and neat.

One PC in the examination room is operating as an on-premises PACS server and Mac PCs are used for diagnosis. Database software is installed in each Mac PC so the data from the appointment list to medical records and images are all linked.

Additionally, the reception area is only equipped with a monitor and a keyboard to keep it tidy and airy. I think that the thing to consider when choosing PACS is not only the features, but also the hassle of purchasing the PCs with the right specifications and understanding the complicated maintenance contracts. There are no restrictions with the browser-based SonicDICOM, so you can use it on your iPad, Mac or any other PCs without hiccups.

How did you find SonicDICOM?

I learned about cloud-based PACS at a medical exhibition. Then, I searched for cloud-based PACS information on the Internet. I found SonicDICOM and sent questions directly to them.

There are various cloud-based PACS, aren't there? Some manufacturers are strong in cardiovascular systems and some products do not have an interface suitable for orthopaedics. Some of them only store data in the cloud and only allow one terminal to view the data. Some manufacturers are extremely expensive. I could not find any other products that were similar to SonicDICOM in various aspects such as convenience, ease of use and price.

Cloud-based PACS Allows for Remote Work

The advantage of the cloud-based system is that you can view medical records and X-rays images from anywhere. When I get home, I can prepare for patients coming the next day. It is a great advantage that we can now do things remotely that we could only do in the clinic before.

For example, when a patient who has had an MRI at a hospital comes to the clinic, I can look at the MRI beforehand and imagine how I will explain it. The time spent looking at it in the examination room on the day of can be shortened. SonicDICOM is extremely useful in that respect.

Interface is Simple Yet Ample

In a large hospital, you may not be able to customize the settings yourself, or it may become difficult to manage because other people have changed the settings. The product itself can become complicated due to various requests, and the operation may become heavy and frustrating due to unintended changes.

I think SonicDICOM's operability is extraordinarily good. It is simple and sensible, and you do not need any special explanation to understand it. In the Toolbar, the names and icons of the features are displayed. It is a perfect standard interface for orthopaedic surgeons.

SonicDICOM Can be Individually Customized for Ease of Use

SonicDICOM can be used quite readily for orthopaedics with the default setting. Scrolling on the iPad is difficult therefore I selected a thumbnail to display images in quadrants without scrolling. CT and MRI images can be opened by default without any problem.

What are the Future Challenges for SonicDICOM?

I cannot think of any really. Orthopaedic surgeons tend to use simple operations such as comparing images on a film viewer, so they do not need many functions. It might be irritating to have too many functions, or multiple functions that make the system heavier and slower or to have more and more of this and that. It would be good if we could “Copy and Paste” the findings digitally just like we did with analog films. What I could do with analog, I hope to do with digital.

Minamiodaka Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Clinic

Location	Nagoya, Japan