Standardization of medical imaging in Europe: an integrated initiative

The successful implementation of PACS (or IMACS) depends on the integration of image and image related data handling systems in an overall hospital information system (HIS) and other departmental information systems (DIS), one of which is radiology information system (RIS). With respect to standardization in the medical imaging field, this integration cannot be looked at separately from the overall prospect of standardization in medical informatics. All relevant standardization work done outside health care should be taken into account. This paper gives an overview of the work within Technical Committee TC 251 'Medical Informatics', of the European Standardization Committee, CEN, with special focus on its Working Group 4 'Medical Imaging and Multimedia'. An indication of the overall framework and relations towards ongoing work is given, with emphasis on short-term targets. The standards to be proposed are collectively called MEDICOM, standing for medical image communication.