Nuclear medicine information management systems

There are good arguments for considering a computer system to improve timeliness and quality of patient care, enhance the format of clinical reports, and strengthen management controls for the containment of health care costs. A nuclear medicine information management system serves to fill these needs. Receptionists access the system to schedule patient studies, log patient data, and generate examination records. Secretaries transcribe and print clinical reports. Film library staff locate patient films and keep track of borrowed studies. Technologists produce study work sheets, record quality assurance information, and process the examination results. Staff preparing radiopharmaceuticals use the system to receive and inventory tracer stocks, track preparation and dispensing activities, and to keep records for external review. Clinicians use it to look up old study results and record their study impressions. Managers access statistical reports, billing information, and resource utilization data. This review describes an information management system as implemented in a nuclear medicine clinic. Software applications for patient scheduling, radiopharmacy, film management, report generation, quality assurance, and inventory control are described as implemented on a variety of academic and commercial systems. Hardware architectures and the issues surrounding system specification and installation are explored.