An integrated medical image database and retrieval system using a web application server

We developed an Integrated Medical Image Database and Retrieval System (INIS) for easy access by medical staff. The INIS mainly consisted of four parts: specific servers to save medical images from multi-vendor modalities of CT, MRI, CR, ECG and endoscopy; an integrated image database (DB) server to save various kinds of images in a DICOM format; a Web application server to connect clients to the integrated image DB and the Web browser terminals connected to an HIS system. The INIS provided a common screen design to retrieve CT, MRI, CR, endoscopic and ECG images, and radiological reports, which would allow doctors to retrieve radiological images and corresponding reports, or ECG images of a patient simultaneously on a screen. Doctors working in internal medicine on average accessed information 492 times a month. Doctors working in cardiological and gastroenterological accessed information 308 times a month. Using the INIS, medical staff could browse all or parts of a patient's medical images and reports.