Development and evaluation of a radiological reporting system for use with a personal computer

A computer-assisted radiological reporting system (CRRS) was developed for the efficient management and effective use of a database of radiological information. The system consists of a computer terminal linked to an HIS, a reporting console and a personal computer in the local area network of the radiology department, and a radiography care reader which transfers basic data on the patient from the HIS to the CRRS. The patient's name, hospital ID number, sex and date of birth, the department from which the patient has been referred, in-patient/out-patient status and the procedure needed are recorded on magnetic cards (radiography cards) issued to radiology patients. The system has been successfully used in all diagnostic procedures for 8 months: 16,300 reports have been printed out and stored. The system has made it possible to implement the complete radiological reporting procedure for clinical applications, and the required data can easily be retrieved and used. It has proved to be quite easy to use CRRS to obtain diagnostic histories, and the improved efficiency of the reporting procedure has enabled the cost of a clerk typist to be eliminated.