THE IMPACT OF A PICTURE ARCHIVING AND COMMUNICATION-SYSTEM ON NUCLEAR-MEDICINE EXAMINATION INTERPRETATION

Radiographic correlation is essential for many of the examinations per formed in nuclear medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) on the function and efficiency of a nuclear medicine department at a tert iary care institution. We evaluated 250 consecutive noncardiac nuclear medicine imaging examinations and asked the interpreting physician th e following questions: (1) Was PACS used in the interpretation of the study? (2) Did the use of PACS expedite examination completion or aid in study interpretation? And (3) Did the use of PACS permit a definiti ve diagnosis to be made? PACS was accessed for correlative radiographi c images in 155 of the 250 (62%) nuclear medicine examinations. Images available on PACS for review aided in study interpretation in 74% (11 5 of 155) of cases. The use of PACS was thought to expedite examinatio n completion in 55% (86 of 155) of cases, The system was accessed but not operational in only 1% of cases (2 of 155), PACS provides reliable , rapid access to multimodality correlative radiographic images that a id in the interpretation of nuclear medicine examinations, Such system s also increase the efficiency of a nuclear medicine service by allowi ng timely and conclusive interpretations to be made. Copyright (C) 199 7 by W.B. Saunders Company.