Tamm E P, Raval B, West O C, Dinwiddie S, Holmes R
Department of Radiology, University of Texas at Houston Medical School, TX 77030, USA.
J Digit Imaging. 1999 May;12(2 Suppl 1):152-4. doi: 10.1007/BF03168786.
Picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) workstations are reported to improve workflow by making studies immediately available for review upon their completion. This study tested the hypothesis that a workstation would decrease the time from completion of a study to dictation of results (report time). A four-monitor, 2K x 2K workstation (Imation Cemax-Icon, Fremont, CA), was installed in a body imaging computed tomography (CT) reading room. Use of the workstation by the staff radiologists was voluntary. Images were also printed on film and films continued to be hung at the routine hanging times. To evaluate the workstation's maximum impact, data were collected for report times for studies completed during the routine day shift of the staff radiologist (Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM). Data were collected before workstation installation (August 1997 to November 1997) and for the subsequent 6 months. Histograms of the number of studies (743 v 103) versus report time (mean, 11.7 v 7.4 hours) showed a bimodal distribution, with peaks at approximately 6 and 24 hours, both before (8/97-11/97) and after (6/98) the workstation's installation. However, the number of studies dictated greater than 60 hours (25.2% v 20.4%) and the percentage of studies in the second peak (16 to 48 hours; 4.4% v 0%) both decreased. In conclusion, the workstation decreased the mean (11.7 v 7.4 hours) and standard deviation (19.8 v 9.1 hours) for report times. This was due to a decrease in both the number of cases dictated the day following their completion and the number of outliers (markedly delayed dictations). The decrease in outliers is probably due to a decrease in the number of "lost" film-based studies.
据报道，图像存档与通信系统（PACS）工作站通过使检查在完成后能立即供人查看，从而改善了工作流程。本研究检验了这样一个假设，即一台工作站会减少从检查完成到结果口述（报告时间）的时长。在体部成像计算机断层扫描（CT）阅片室安装了一台四显示器、2K×2K的工作站（Imation Cemax-Icon，加利福尼亚州弗里蒙特市）。放射科工作人员自愿使用该工作站。图像也会打印在胶片上，并且胶片仍会在常规挂片时间挂出。为评估该工作站的最大影响，收集了放射科工作人员常规日班（周一至周五，上午8点至下午5点）期间完成检查的报告时间数据。在工作站安装前（1997年8月至1997年11月）以及随后的6个月收集了数据。研究数量（743对103）与报告时间（均值，11.7对7.4小时）的直方图显示出双峰分布，在工作站安装前（1997年8月 - 1997年11月）和安装后（1998年6月），峰值均出现在大约6小时和24小时左右。然而，报告时间超过60小时的研究数量（25.2%对20.4%）以及第二个峰值（16至48小时；4.4%对0%）中的研究百分比均有所下降。总之，该工作站缩短了报告时间的均值（11.7对7.4小时）和标准差（19.8对9.1小时）。这是由于检查完成后次日口述的病例数量以及异常值（明显延迟的口述）数量均有所减少。异常值的减少可能是由于基于胶片的“丢失”研究数量减少所致。
