Advantages of Digitizing PACS Systems
Discover the advantages of choosing a PACS system to digitize the operations of radiology and medical imaging services.
Digitization is the transformation of analog processes and physical objects into digital form. One way to achieve this is by scanning physical objects for later storage, whether on a hard drive or in the cloud.
In this way, everything that used to be done manually and generated unnecessary costs has, thanks to digitization, become much simpler, faster, more efficient, and more accessible.
In this sense, digitization represents a significant savings in time and resources in the management and storage of radiological studies. In just a few steps, an interpretation can be completed and a results report sent, whereas with a traditional system this requires much more time.
What Do PACS and RIS Mean?
PACS are systems for the storage, management, and communication of medical images, as indicated by the acronym: Picture Archiving and Communications System. Using this system, clinical images from various modalities or diagnostic methods (X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, etc.) can be managed.
On the other hand, RIS stands for Radiology Information System, that is, radiology information system. These systems handle the management of diagnostic imaging departments through various modules.
These modules include: scheduling, identification files, patient and exam registration and codes, medical reports, billing, statistics, case tracking, teaching, follow-up cases, instant email, and bibliography management, among others.
Both PACS and RIS systems have contributed to the digitization process of clinics, hospitals, and medical offices. As a result, considerable increases in staff productivity and decreases in expenses across various areas can be seen.
Processing and Digitization of Medical Images
In the mid-1980s, a communication standard for digital-format images was created, called DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine). It is a protocol that allows medical images to be shared regardless of the brand of the diagnostic modality.
It can be said that this was the beginning of digitization in medicine, since images could now be obtained and transmitted over the network. They can subsequently be stored on universal devices, thanks to the DICOM format. Likewise, physicians can perform study interpretations using a DICOM viewer.
In its early stages, the most commonly used digital images came from CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds. Today, practically all diagnostic modalities are compatible with the DICOM format.
Acquisition of Digital Medical Images
The acquisition of digital images consists of two main modalities: those processed directly in digital form and those obtained from a physical plate.
In the first case, the information acquired through imaging study methods is processed on a computer in binary code. As a result, the digital image is obtained, which can be stored or transmitted over the network.
On the other hand, in the second case, digitization is done manually using a radiographic plate digitizer, which obtains the numerical information that is processed in the same way to digitize the information into an image.
Location of Digital Medical Images
Medical image digitization systems operate in conjunction with the PACS system.
In this way, the storage of digitized images resides in two types of memory: primary and secondary.
Primary Memory (Primary Cache)
This type of memory is made up of the servers' hard drives and is the best known and most widely used by devices in general.
In this working memory, the PACS system stores the studies it receives or sends, and the PACS Client can access them moments later (even within seconds, depending on the system).
This type of memory has one main drawback: its limited space. This is why it is a temporary memory that stores only a few studies at a time. Depending on the available memory, images can be kept anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Its main advantage lies in its high access speed, since the way cache memory works in general makes it a fast-access location.
From a technological standpoint, the future of PACS systems points toward equipment having increasingly larger amounts of this type of memory, mainly due to the cost-per-MB benefit it offers.
Secondary Memory (Archive)
This type of memory is used less and less, especially since the arrival of cloud storage services.
Its purpose is to store the studies received by the primary memory on a permanent basis.
It is characterized by being a slow-access location. It evokes the somewhat manual early days of computing, since it consists of DLT tapes, MOD optical disks, CDs, or DVDs, which usually sit in a cabinet or storeroom.
Remote Memory (PACS Client)
A major benefit of the PACS system is that client stations can be configured with their own storage memory to receive copies of studies without having to request them. This represents a significant time savings.
The disadvantage of this type of memory is its capacity, which is very limited depending on the type of station.
However, its major advantage is the ability to have immediate availability of studies from any remote station.
Benefits of Digitizing Imaging Studies
The purpose of technology is to optimize human tasks, making them more convenient, faster, and more accessible for everyone.
This is why the digitization of clinical imaging studies brings with it a series of benefits:
Savings
Cost reduction in companies, regardless of their sector, has been one of the most important effects of digitization.
In this way, costs have been reduced in different areas such as production, labor, or other resources, thereby increasing staff productivity.
Likewise, everything that translates into reduced expenses for the company becomes a more accessible service for users. Therefore, it is without a doubt a win-win relationship.
Remote Access
One of the great benefits of digitizing radiographic plates is the ability to access them remotely, thanks to PACS systems.
Depending on the service provider as well as the equipment, accessing these studies without having to go to the place where they were performed is now entirely a reality.
Likewise, it enables collaboration among specialist physicians without them needing to be in the same physical location.
Prevents Wear and Tear
Radiographic plates are subject to wear and have a limited lifespan. After a certain time, physicians can no longer prepare diagnoses from physical plates.
A digital image, on the other hand, does not wear out. This proves useful for making comparisons in patients' progress.
It is worth mentioning that radiographic plates are highly polluting, and disposing of them requires special processes that also involve significant costs.
Other Benefits
The digitization of radiology services and PACS systems also brings other productivity benefits, such as:
- Making use of worklists that facilitate task assignment.
- Checking the workload of the physicians who will interpret the studies.
- Streamlined production of medical reports.
- Conducting productivity analysis.
In addition, tools and utilities are available, such as:
- Retrieval of clinical histories and patient information.
- Retrieval of previous medical reports.
- All the tools of DICOM viewers, which enable more accurate diagnoses.
In this sense, the digitization of radiology services is aimed at offering better service and care to each patient.
References
- Digital Radiography with Phosphor Plates (Henry Schein)
- Image Storage and Transmission. PACS (conganat.org)
- Huang, H. (2018). PACS and Imaging Informatics. Somerset: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.