Implications Of Picture Archiving And Communication Systems (PACS) For The Practice Of Radiology

A survey was conducted in which the medical community at a university hospital was asked to respond to questions concerning Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS). 20% of the physicians (medical doctors and senior medical students) responded. Results show that physicians perceive a need for PACS. Although all physicians saw advantages in PACS, radiologists, in particular, saw the system as beneficial to their practice. In contrast, non-radiologists saw more drawbacks to the system most notably decreased portability and excessive cost of the system. Most physicians thought they would utilize radiologic information from remote sites in such a system. They also suggested several ways in which the system might be uniquely modified for their subspecialty needs. The implications of PACS for the practice of radiology will be discussed.