in-cyprus 4 June 2025 - by Marilena Panayi
The Health Insurance Organisation of Cyprus will implement an electronic tool from 11 June designed to eliminate unnecessary or redundant imaging examinations within the General Healthcare System (GHS), preventing repeated appointments for different tests and reducing unnecessary radiation exposure.
The ESR iGuide system will provide doctors with precise indications for the most appropriate imaging examination choices for their patients during referral entry into GHS software, based on the health problem requiring investigation.
The system operates through structured clinical indications based on European Society of Radiology imaging guidelines and scores examination options on a scale from 1 to 9, according to Dr Monica Kyriakou, a senior Health Insurance Organisation official.
Examinations scoring 1-3 are least suitable, those scoring 4-6 are moderately suitable, and examinations scoring 7-9 are most appropriate for the specific case.
“During the completion of referrals for imaging examinations, the tool will provide evidence-based advisory feedback to the doctor, with suggestions for alternative options in cases where there is an examination with higher suitability than the one the doctor initially selected,” Dr Kyriakou said.
The ESR iGuide is a clinical decision support tool for imaging examination referrals and “is based on internationally recognised guidelines of the European Society of Radiology and the American College of Radiology”.
Dr Kyriakou said the tool’s use “not only protects GHS but primarily the patients because through its operation, conditions will be created so that patients undergo the most appropriate examination at the appropriate time based always on the latest international guidelines, with the result that unnecessary exposure to radiation is prevented”.
The system “ensures the correct selection of imaging examination for each clinical indication, which will contribute to faster and safer diagnosis and consequently better management of the patient’s health problem”.
For doctors, ESR iGuide “provides immediate access to international imaging guidelines, which will facilitate them in making informed decisions for their patients. The system’s operation during clinical workflow, namely during referral entry, will facilitate our doctors in its use”.
For GHS, Dr Kyriakou said, “the operation of ESR iGuide has many benefits”, beyond preventing unnecessary imaging examinations and saving resources.
“The quality of provided services is upgraded, safety for our beneficiaries is improved, reducing delays and waiting times”.
The processes for adopting and operating ESR iGuide “have begun by the Health Insurance Organisation several months ago and now we are ready to proceed officially with its operation from next week”.
GHS doctors “have been invited to online training seminars on using ESR iGuide, whilst relevant and detailed instructions have been sent to all doctors and posted on the GHS website”.
