Dear PACS Insider,
There's just no substitute for real-world feedback. Sure, evaluating the usability of PACS workstation software prior to deployment can pick up some potential problems, but it's likely that clinical use will uncover a lot more issues, according to a Dutch research team.
After implementing workstation software that had received high marks during a preinstallation usability evaluation, researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen found that more than 90 usability issues were identified by users during clinical use. The study results emphasize the need for vendors to continue evaluating the usability of their workstation software after installation, according to the group. Click here to learn more.
Social media can be a tricky minefield to traverse for medical professionals. Many pitfalls await novices, including issues associated with anonymization of images and patient consent.
A group of U.K. radiologists have developed some tips, however, on how to utilize social media appropriately. They shared their suggestions in an RSNA 2015 e-poster, which also included a call for all radiologists to participate in a free, open-access radiology education initiative called #FOAMrad. Editor-in-Chief Philip Ward has our coverage, which you can access here.
We've got other coverage of RSNA 2015 this month in the PACS Community, including a presentation that delved into how radiologists use PACS during the interpretation process. Using a form of analytics called process mining, the group concluded that radiologists who had a more complex workflow for reading exams tended to be just as fast as those who followed a simple interpretation process. What else did they find? Click here to learn more.
The need to have robust IT infrastructures and daily RIS and PACS support were included on a checklist of recommended standards recently released by the U.K. Royal College of Radiologists for those providing a seven-day acute care diagnostic radiology service. Get all the details by visiting here.
If you have any tips or suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered in the PACS Community, please feel free to drop me a line.
We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are off to a great start in 2016!
