A IHE-Like Approach Method for Quantitative Analysis of PACS Usage.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Systems Management
• Information Security

Background:

• Hospitals utilize Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) for managing medical images.
• Administrators require tools to monitor PACS activity for asset management and policy development.
• Quantitative usage data is crucial for optimizing resource allocation and planning future acquisitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an unconventional method for measuring PACS workstation utilization.
• To leverage existing data from the IHE Audit Trail and Node Authentication (ATNA) profile for workload assessment.
• To provide decision-makers with actionable insights into PACS resource management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data generated by the IHE ATNA profile, originally for security.
• Analyzed access traces for each image data interaction on PACS workstations.
• Calculated and classified the frequency of PACS station usage.

Main Results:

• Developed a method to quantify PACS workstation workload using ATNA logs.
• Presented usage data in a format suitable for healthcare decision-makers.
• Demonstrated the feasibility and encouraging results of the proposed measurement technique.

Conclusions:

• The IHE ATNA profile can be repurposed to effectively measure PACS workstation usage.
• This approach avoids additional investment in dedicated management tools.
• Optimizing resource utilization and enhancing operator satisfaction can be achieved at no extra cost.