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Cloud Image Data Center for Healthcare Network in Taiwan

  • Systems-Level Quality Improvement
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper investigates how a healthcare network in Taiwan uses a practical cloud image data center (CIDC) to communicate with its constituent hospital branches. A case study approach was used. The study was carried out in the central region of Taiwan, with four hospitals belonging to the Veterans Hospital healthcare network. The CIDC provides synchronous and asynchronous consultation among these branches. It provides storage, platforms, and services on demand to the hospitals. Any branch-client can pull up the patient’s medical images from any hospital off this cloud. Patients can be examined at the branches, and the images and reports can be further evaluated by physicians in the main Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) to enhance the usage and efficiency of equipment in the various branches, thereby shortening the waiting time of patients. The performance of the CIDC over 5 years shows: (1) the total number of cross-hospital images accessed with CDC in the branches was 132,712; and (2) TVGH assisted the branches in keying in image reports using the CIDC 4,424 times; and (3) Implementation of the system has improved management, efficiency, speed and quality of care. Therefore, the results lead to the recommendation of continuing and expanding the cloud computing architecture to improve information sharing among branches in the healthcare network.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Computer and Communications Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital. The authors especially thank Kuen-Fang Jea and Chia-Hsien Wenare from National Chung Hsing University and Providence University for kind and valuable help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering and Enterprise Information, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40704, Taiwan

    Shao-Jen Weng

  2. Computer and Communications Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, 40705, Taiwan

    Ching-Wen Yang & Lai-Shiun Lai

  3. Department of International Business, Tunghai University, Taichung, 40704, Taiwan

    Donald Gotcher

  4. Department of Business Administration, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, 500, Taiwan

    Hsin-Hung Wu

  5. Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, HungKuang University, Taichung, 43302, Taiwan

    Yeong-Yuh Xu

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  1. Shao-Jen Weng
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  2. Donald Gotcher
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  3. Hsin-Hung Wu
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  4. Yeong-Yuh Xu
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  5. Ching-Wen Yang
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  6. Lai-Shiun Lai
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Shao-Jen Weng or Lai-Shiun Lai.

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The authors declare no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Systems-Level Quality Improvement

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Weng, SJ., Gotcher, D., Wu, HH. et al. Cloud Image Data Center for Healthcare Network in Taiwan. J Med Syst 40, 89 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-016-0430-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-016-0430-8

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