Innovation in intensive care nursing work practices with PACS

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging Informatics
• Nursing Informatics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Picture Archive and Communication Systems (PACS) are primarily designed for physicians, with limited research on their impact on intensive care unit (ICU) nursing workflows.
• Nurses in ICUs regularly access medical images as part of patient care, highlighting a gap in understanding how technology influences their practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how ICU nurses utilize medical images and assess the influence of PACS on their work practices.
• To determine if PACS implementation fosters innovation and autonomy in ICU nursing.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 49 ICU nurses and direct observations of 23 nurses across three Australian teaching hospitals.
• Hospitals were selected based on varying levels of PACS implementation to compare adoption and impact.

Main Results:

• Nurses with PACS access demonstrated increased frequency and ease in independently accessing medical images.
• PACS access was associated with a perception of enhanced patient safety and potential for improved care.
• Nurses without PACS typically accessed images through traditional ward rounds, indicating less autonomy.

Conclusions:

• Implementing PACS in ICUs facilitates significant changes in nursing work practices, enabling greater autonomy.
• Enhanced access to medical images via PACS has the potential to positively impact patient safety and overall care quality in critical care settings.