Structured entry of radiology reports using World Wide Web technology.

Structured data entry--in which information is entered by using predetermined data elements and formats--has the potential to improve the radiology reporting process. The dependence on particular computer hardware and software platforms has posed a barrier to wider use of this approach. The World Wide Web (WWW), a client-server protocol for delivery of multimedia data via the Internet, was used to achieve platform-independent structured entry of radiology reports. A developmental system for structured entry of radiology reports, called SPIDER, incorporates a knowledge base of hierarchically organized concepts, a WWW server, and two specialized programs. The WebForm program transforms the system's knowledge into graphical WWW data-entry forms; the WebReport program converts data entered on these forms into outline-format reports. SPIDER received favorable evaluations from sonographers and physicians who used the system to record the results of several test cases. WWW technology can be used to achieve platform-independent entry of the results of radiologic procedures.