Some software requirements for a PACS: lessons from experiences in clinical routine

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging Informatics
• Radiology Information Systems
• Health IT Infrastructure

Background:

• A Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) was installed in the University of Graz Radiology Department, integrating CT scanners.
• Routine use highlighted the critical need for reliable communication and archiving functionalities within the PACS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define a minimal set of software requirements for a PACS to ensure fast and non-problematic operation.
• To discuss an intelligent process structure for autonomous supervision and automatic malfunction elimination in PACS.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of routine operational experiences with a PACS in a clinical radiology setting.
• Identification of critical software processes and potential failure points (e.g., crashes, connection interruptions).

Main Results:

• Background software processes are essential for image conversion (ACR-Nema format) and database submission.
• Malfunctioning or crashing processes can lead to incomplete or lost data archiving, causing system-wide delays and data loss if not detected promptly.

Conclusions:

• A PACS requires autonomous process supervision and automatic malfunction handling for safe and efficient routine operation.
• An intelligent process structure that meets these requirements is crucial for preventing data loss and ensuring system stability.