How to Measure the Usability of a PACS System

The relationship between medicine and technology is becoming increasingly relevant due to the simplicity with which certain procedures can now be performed compared to how they were carried out a few years ago. For this reason, there is a key concept for measuring how viable a given tool is: usability. More and more attention is being paid to how user-friendly a given program or website is.

In the case of PACS systems, where images and reports from various studies are stored electronically, it is of great importance that they include the necessary options for medical staff to perform an appropriate interpretation. In the following section, we will describe what a PACS system is and how it works.

What does a PACS system consist of?

As mentioned earlier, PACS systems store information, mainly images from radiology studies. Previously, film printing was used, so these systems have come to replace that task. The main difference is that these PACS systems feature structures that allow for greater quality and precision.

Usability of a PACS system

There are different criteria for determining the usability of PACS systems. However, some of the most important aspects to consider are the number of available tools, the way they are laid out, and the average number of clicks it takes to complete an interpretation. There are also other factors, such as automatic sequencing and the ability to customize the system. The goal of all this is to increase the productivity of medical staff.

On the other hand, the learning curve is also relevant, since the more intuitive the PACS is, the less time it will take a physician to become familiar with the tool.

Once an institution acquires a PACS system, at some point a new physician will arrive who will also need to use this tool. That same professional is likely to work at different institutions and therefore use PACS solutions from different vendors, which is why having user-friendly tools will ensure they can do their job better.

Another relevant aspect of usability is whether the physician constantly needs an IT professional to make configuration changes. If the answer is yes, this means that usability is inadequate. This applies even more if a workstation connected to a server is used, since in that case the physician must be in that same location to interpret studies, whereas with a cloud-based PACS, only a computer with internet access is needed. If we add to this the difficulty of requiring a technology expert, the PACS's usability drops.

PACS components

A PACS has various components, such as modalities for imaging equipment, communication networks, archiving systems, workstations, and software. For example, if a physician is diagnosing a mammogram, they can choose, depending on what they need, to use two quadrants, one for the right breast and one for the left. If they want to compare it with a study from six months earlier, the screen could be divided into four quadrants. The degree of usability will depend on how simple it is to bring up these options.

It can also define the image slice thickness, use cine mode to view it in motion, or display it in 3D

So, if you are looking to switch to or acquire a new PACS, you now know some of the most important elements to evaluate in terms of usability, a fundamental recipe for these tools that will undoubtedly bring great benefits to both physicians and patients.