Artificial intelligence in hybrid imaging: Enabling or restricting the workforce?

The nuclear medicine environment is now undoubtedly considered to be a truly digital imaging community.  A community whereby technology exists and practitioners are integral to ensuring image optimization / acquisition, accurate processing / quantification and in the case of hybrid imaging, using the dual modality approach to further enhance the patient's diagnosis.

The pace of introducing intuitive software platforms within nuclear medicine is something which needs to be carefully considered.  This is especially the case for hybrid imaging practice, where a 'push and pull of data' culture has begun to evolve.  The hybrid imaging practitioner faces a number of challenges in terms of ensuring their role definition, development and deployment is recognized and central to the patient's journey.  Creating an environment that embraces technology, but does not allow it to control the role is a crucial element of future workforce training and there needs to be an understanding that multiple pressures exist and may impact on the creation of 'domain ownership' by the nuclear medicine workforce.  The figure below outlines the necessary pathway that needs to be undertaken by practitioners as they emerge as a new sub-society within the nuclear medicine fraternity. 

Copyright Marc Griffiths 2013



My previous blogs have explored the notion of creating a clear pathway of training and education for the nuclear medicine practitioner working within a hybrid imaging environment.  Unless there is a clearly defined role, working in a patient centric approach, technology will dominate the delivery of services.  The use of systems workflows and seamless integration of various aspects of the nuclear medicine examination can be viewed as enabling the workforce, however there is also limited potential for 'flat collaboration' as previously discussed by Fridell (2009) and cultural lag, as practitioners fail to understand how technology can be embraced and used to enhance service delivery. 

Overcoming the theory / practice gap

During my research it has become apparent that a gap between theory and practice exists.  This is linked with the need to understand / define the various roles within the hybrid imaging workforce.  Creating an environment whereby a system of work exists permitting the effective use of CT during hybrid imaging examinations is paramount.  This is only one of the integral aspects of working practices within a hybrid imaging environment, however it is crucial to the overall service delivery. 

The image below depicts the range of potential autonomy associated with using CT in a hybrid imaging environment.  There is the consideration of system / software specifications, but one of the most fundamental questions that does not seem to factor during the procurement / installation and subsequent use of a hybrid imaging system is 'how will you use it?'. 

It is pointless having a 64 slice CT unit attached to a gamma camera if all you intend to do is attenuation correction +/- localisation.  Will you use contrast agent? Will you need to specialist software which looks good, but actually it is not required.  Having the appropriate underpinning knowledge and understanding of hybrid imaging practice will always be linked to the relevant theory and principles.   

 

A committed hybrid imaging workforce should be able to flex and adapt as required, exploring new potential patient pathways and establishing their position within inter-disciplinary teams.  This is easier said than done, however we need to think about our community, the 'nuclear medicine fraternity' (image below).  There needs to be an understanding that a new workforce is emerging, those practitioner that do not have a tradition in non-hybrid practice.  This has merits in the form of a greater appreciation of anatomical imaging etc, however how does the nuclear medicine fraternity balance the development needs of the traditional workforce with the emerging workforce?  This equation does not even include the new trainees who may witness / be influenced by the sub-communities within nuclear medicine. 

Becker (1961) explored the notion that our social and technical order now requires us to deliver more and more (patient) services within the environment we work.  The effective delivery of these patient services depends upon esoteric knowledge and skills and it is crucial that trust exists between all practitioners, regardless of the sub-community belonging.