Biomedical subjects

N Carbi

Publications and source records attributed to N Carbi.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Trieste PACS project: a functional assessment.

A picture archiving and communication (PAC) system (CommView by AT&T and Philips) has recently been installed in the Radiology Department of the University of Trieste, Italy, and is currently under experimental evaluation. The current status of the system and the planned developments are reported. A major project at present is the evaluation of the impact of the PAC system on the radiology system on a functional basis, by applying in the medical field a modelling methodology developed to analyse manufacturing systems. Other research in progress is devoted to technical, clinical and ergonomic aspects, on the basis of a comprehensive assessment project.

Hospital Information Systems↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Modular project of the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Preliminary clinical experience. II].

In the previous paper in this volume the PAC System installed in the Radiology Department of the University of Trieste has been described and its advantages and limitations have been analyzed, mainly from an operational point of view. This paper deals with the clinical evaluation of the system in ordinary operative conditions. A series of cases with specific characteristics was monitored in order to reveal different performances in both diagnostic process and conclusions using the PACS viewing console (DW) vs. conventional CRT film images on alternators. In a first test, 100 routine (not pre-selected) brain CT cases were independently analyzed by 4 radiologists, each of them giving 2 interpretations of the same case, one based on film and the other on PACS. The data were analyzed by conventional statistical methods, showing a substantial agreement of the results obtained with the 2 modalities. A second test concerned the evaluation of 100 lumbar intervertebral disks by CT, with the same procedure as above. Four radiologists were again asked to decide on film and PACS images about normality, protusion, or herniation of the disks. The results demonstrate the possibility of adequately reporting on the PACS monitor and stress the need of an adequate training period and the efficacy of the image processing capabilities of the system.

Brain Diseases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Modular project of the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS). Preliminary operational experience. I].

Since september 1988 a PAC System (Comm View by AT & T and Philips) has been operating in the Radiology Department of the University Hospital, Trieste. A research project is presently in progress aiming at providing factual evidence for the evaluation of this kind of systems as far as operational, technical, clinical and economic aspects are concerned. The general approach to this research consists in implementing and monitoring a PACS in a stepwise way, starting with a small system connected to some digital modalities only, in order to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the system within a Radiology Department, and to test the possibility of matching the PACS to the Radiological System. The present paper describes in detail the present configuration of this entry-level system and its technical features. The planned development (october 1989) is also depicted. Further developments devise at managing in an integrated way all the radiological images of the four hospitals of Trieste. At present, the PACS is currently used to manage and store on optical disks all the images acquired from the connected modalities plus the related reports, and to perform the reporting sessions for CT examinations (brain and abdomen). The present research effort is devoted to two main areas: clinical evaluation and operational analysis. The object of the operational analysis was the assessment of the impact of PACS on the operations of a Radiology Department. The general approach followed for this research consists in analysing the procedures as they are performed in the conventional way (manual operations), and comparing them to the way they are, or could be, performed using a PACS System (automatic operations). This stage of the project is divided into three phases, concerning respectively the analysis of the organization and operations before PACS, the analysis of the impact of PACS in its initial configuration and the forecast of the influence of PACS in its future setting. A first evaluation concerned the activities carried out from the moment the images are generated to the moment they are ready to be achieved. They include image acquisition, reporting, delivering and returning of images from the departments. The time required to carry out each of the activities involved was recorded, both in the manual and in the automatic version; furthermore, a more detailed analysis was performed on the reporting procedure. The conclusions reached through this analysis are that this kind of operation is mostly affected by the way the Radiology Department is managed, rather than by the tools employed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Computer Systems↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[An information system for the management support of a radiology institute. Critical analysis and experience].

The Radiology Information System (RIS) for the management of the Radiology Department at the Trieste University Hospital is here presented. It consists of 3 subsystems: the first one is devoted to the management of the patients archive and to the examination scheduling function, the second deals with the statistical and administrative reporting task, and the third manages the archives of scientific data. Each subsystem is analysed in details, in terms of functions, hardware, software, archives, and personnel. The actual implementations of such systems are considered, with respect to the main functions of the Radiology Department, on the basis of the authors' actual experience. An attempt is made to set aside features related to the local situation, thus providing useful data for different realities. Specific quantitative measures are presented, whenever appropriate, to provide a solid ground to explain and motivate the most relevant aspects relative to the management of the Radiology Department in general and of the RIS in particular. Workloads and/or execution times of the main functions were collected and the RIS has turned out to yield significant benefits (e.g., easier and more confident access to the information). On the other hand, the costs are not negligible and must be carefully planned during the projecting phase. Some expected future developments of the RIS are outlined: in the short run the network conversion is devised, and a functional integration among the subsystems; in the medium run an autonomous system is planned, and in the long run a connection is considered with a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) and with the Hospital Information System (HIS).

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗