A balanced evaluation perspective: picture archiving and communication system impacts on hospital workflow

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Hospital Management
• Information Systems Evaluation

Background:

• Hospitals face budget and regulatory pressures, necessitating workflow re-evaluation.
• Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) are proposed technologies for workflow enhancement.
• The effectiveness of PACS in improving hospital workflow and patient care requires rigorous evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of PACS on hospital workflow using an adapted Balanced Scorecard (BSC).
• To assess the effectiveness of PACS in a large public hospital setting.
• To identify critical success factors for PACS implementation and organizational alignment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an adapted version of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) framework.
• Employed in-depth interviews with PACS users as the primary evaluation instrument.
• Conducted the study in a large public hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

Main Results:

• PACS demonstrated a considerable improvement in overall hospital workflow.
• The study confirmed the positive impact of PACS on clinical practice efficiency.
• Organizational alignment emerged as a critical success factor for PACS.

Conclusions:

• PACS implementation can significantly enhance hospital operational efficiency and patient care.
• The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) provides a robust framework for evaluating healthcare IT systems like PACS.
• Strategic organizational alignment is essential for maximizing the benefits of PACS in healthcare settings.