Teleradiology in Europe

The new concept of teleradiology is centered on the consideration that it involves management of medical information rather than the simple transmission of diagnostic images from one location to another. Teleradiology must therefore be able to contribute to the seamless integration of the digital environment in which medical data are managed throughout and beyond the hospital, generating value added services for the patients as well as prospertive economical benefits for the institution. In this perspective the evolution of telecommunication with the spectacular success of mobile telephony and Internet will play and increasingly important role. by allowing further development in the exchange of multimedia medical information on a regional as well as international level. However, new responsibilities are being given to the radiologists, who must rake all necessary technical and organizational actions in order to avoid that the digital management of data may endanger the confidentiality and the integrity of patients' data. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.