Our first remotely led clinical X-ray meeting in The Gambia

One of our core aims at Worldwide Radiology is to improve patient care not only through education, but also through direct clinical support to medical teams.

This is why we are very pleased to have successfully delivered our first remote clinical X-ray meeting, with a radiologist in the UK discussing patient care live with the team in the Gambia.

The team at MRC attending the X-ray meeting. The X-ray is held on the Collective Minds platform and being discussed live by the radiologist in the UK.

It may look simple, sharing some images online, but it is totally different from remote teaching or sharing photos in an online presentation.

To discuss the clinical care of patients, it is vital that all their personal information is held, transferred and accessed via a secure platform and that the whole process is in line with legal and professional requirements and properly monitored. This is not straightforward to set up, even within countries like the UK and with plenty of funding available. It is much harder if funds are limited and regulation is less well developed.

The Clinical Services Department at the Unit provides general medical and paediatric care to staff of the unit, research study participants and members of the general public.

During 2021, in Fajara, the doctors saw 7,792 individuals, in 21,316 consultations and 1,046 admissions to the ward. We are supported by a medical imaging department staffed by radiographers and assistants and providing plain film imaging and ultrasound services.

"On the first Thursday of every month, 20 to 30 nurses, doctors and medical students at our Clinic in The Gambia get together for a clinical X-ray meeting", Dr Karen Forrest, Head of Clinical Services at MRC Unit The Gambia, shares. "We discuss X-rays and scans of patients where the diagnosis may not be clear, as well as cases that are important for everyone to learn from", she adds.

Dr Forrest also explains that the introduction of a secure online teleradiology system means that they can now discuss together with an expert radiologist who can then demonstrate abnormal findings and help the team learn for the next case. "Over time, this collaboration will help us improve the quality of care we offer to our patients", she shares.

Getting to this point has been a real team effort with many volunteers giving their time and expertise. Thanks to this collaborative effort, we are now able to offer the team in The Gambia remote expert clinical consultations when needed*. Thanks also to the team at MRC-LSHTM for going on this journey with us!

* Please note that we do not provide primary radiology reports. We only provide expert consultations at the request of clinicians we know and have partnership agreements with. We are unable to accept requests for consultations outside these arrangements.