A new concept for integration of imaging archiving systems into a comprehensive electronic medical database

Image processing and archiving are of increasing importance in the practice of modern medicine. Particularly due to the introduction of computer-based investigation methods, physicians are dealing with a wide variety of analo gue and digital picture archives. On the other hand, clinical information i s stored in Various text-based information systems without integration of i mage components. The link between such traditional medical databases and picture archives is a prerequisite for efficient data management as well as for continuous qua lity control and medical education. At the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Berne, a software pr ogram was developed to create a complete multimedia electronic patient reco rd. The client-server system contains all patients' data, questionnaire-bas ed quality control,and a digital picture archive. Different interfaces guar antee the integration into the hospital's data network. This article descri bes our experiences in the development and introduction of a comprehensive image archiving system at a large orthopedic center.