After picture archiving and communication systems: information technology in radiology

Abstract

This is my perspective of information technology (IT) developments in radiology, based mainly on my experiences of the current situation in the English national health service (NHS) and some knowledge of the other countries of the UK. The views expressed here represent my personal opinions, and are not necessarily those of my NHS employers. I have confined my comments purely to IT matters. I shall not, therefore, be discussing developments in computer aided diagnostics, in reformatting or other image manipulation techniques, nor in imaging, such as the use of terahertz radiation. Despite being given the title “After picture archiving and communication systems…”, the story of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) in the NHS is far from over. PACSs are used throughout England and Scotland, but Wales and Northern Ireland still have some catching up to do. Even in England, there is still room for development in the PACS arena, in particular in regard to image and report sharing (this is less problematic in Scotland, given that they have a single PACS entity that spans the whole nation). For completion, I would also like to consider the question in reverse: “After radiology, what next for PACS?”