Comparing medical grade to commercial grade display in a radiation oncology environment

Electronic displays are used in every modern day medical clinic. They are used to view images that are needed to diagnose, treat, and follow-up on patients with a variety of conditions. The type of electronic display used varies from department to department. Currently, a type of displays called medical grade displays are used to evaluate and diagnose disease and conditions. Alternatively, commercial or entry level professional displays are used for almost everything else. In the field of radiation oncology medical images are often used to plan the treatment course for each patient. These images are always viewed using a commercial grade display. An experiment was completed to examine the role a medical grade display might have in a radiation oncology setting. Our study had certified dosimetrists and radiation oncologists view medical images on both a medical grade and commercial grade display and rank their preference on a scale. The observers assessed the images in different categories (Contrast, resolution, and sharpness) and also commented on their preference. Results indicated that the medical grade display performed better than the commercial grade display in every image quality category.