Sharing Sensitive Patient Imaging Information Safely

We were sending DICOM files via email

We work in the radiology department of a university hospital.

Recently, we've been collaborating closely with companies developing customized medical devices using 3D printing technology.

The problem was that we needed to deliver CT or MRI image files (DICOM) taken at the hospital to these companies.

Usually, we sent files via email or shared them through cloud services like Google Drive.

But these methods had several problems.

DICOM files contained header information with patients' names, social security numbers, etc., and email content also included patient identifying information, creating potential violations of GDPR, HIPAA, and personal information protection laws.

We were aware of the problem, but there was no suitable alternative.

Through SetFN, we could collaborate while protecting data ownership

After introducing SetFN, we no longer needed to send DICOM files via email or external cloud services. By simply placing files in my computer's SetFN folder, company representatives could directly open those files on their own PCs.

The most important thing was that data remained within our institution. Since data wasn't uploaded to external servers, data ownership and management authority were clear. SetFN also had a feature to automatically remove header information from DICOM files, so patient information was safely removed while only necessary imaging information was delivered.

Now protecting data sovereignty in collaboration has become natural

Now it's natural to collaborate both within the hospital and with external companies without exposing patient information. Data never leaves our institution, while authorized people can access it safely.

It's not technically difficult - just put files in a folder, so team members adapted quickly. We protected personal information and data ownership while actually speeding up our work.