Why PACS Workstations are Essential Tools

What exactly is PACS?

Picture Archiving and Communications Systems, or as they are more commonly known, PACS, are being used in most hospitals and radiology clinics. This digital imaging technology has replaced the old way of capturing x-rays and scans on film and paper, enabling clinical images to be stored electronically and viewed on screen.

PACS work with x-ray and scanning technology such as Computerized Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and ultrasound to make x-rays and scanned images available to view on screens within radiology, and to share with other hospital departments like accident and emergency, neurology and orthopedics.

With PACS, clinical images are instantly and simultaneously available for study at multiple locations within a trust. PACS supports more effective team working between clinicians and therefore aids swifter and more accurate diagnoses and treatment for patients.

In radiology, PACS is combined with a radiology information system, or RIS. Radiologists report on the x-rays and scanned images they can view on PACS, and the subsequent reports they produce are then accessible from the images with which they are associated.

Why do we need PACS?

For the past 100 years, film was the main means for capturing, storing and displaying radiographic images. However, film is a fixed medium with usually only one set of images available.

PACS allows for a near filmless process, with all of the flexibility of digital systems. It also removes the costs associated with hard film processing and releases valuable space previously used for film storage. Most importantly, PACS is helping to transform patients’ experience of the care they receive across the NHS. It does this by enabling a speedier diagnosis and by removing the risk of images being lost or misplaced.

How does PACS improve patient care?

With PACS clinicians can access the right image in the right place at the right time. The technology enables:

• Faster accessibility to medical images for the clinicians who evaluate and report on them. This can lead to the speedier availability of results.
• No lost or misplaced images, which means fewer patients having their consultations or operations postponed or cancelled.
• Fewer unnecessary re-investigations, which in turn reduces the amount of radiation to which patients are exposed.
• Flexible viewing, with the ability to manipulate images on screen, ensuring that patients can be diagnosed more effectively.
• Instant access to historic images, so that new and old images can be compared and the progress of patients’ treatment and condition(s) monitored.
• Better teamwork and collaboration because, with PACS, images can be viewed from multiple terminals and locations within a trust by a range of clinicians. And the vast majority of trusts now have the ability to share images electronically with other trusts.

As a result of all of these improvements, PACS is enabling patients to move on quickly to the next stage in their treatment.

MedWOW features an impressive array of new, used and refurbished PACS, as well as replacement PACS parts from a variety of manufacturers. As the principal international eCommerce platform for all kinds of medical equipment, MedWOW, features a comprehensive searchable catalogue that allows you to filter for make, manufacturer, continent, condition, price range, seller’s business type and communications protocols when shopping for your PACS.

Currently MedWOW features PACS from the following manufacturers:

Agfa, Agilent, AMS, Dicomit Imaging Systems, Dyonics, GE Healthcare, Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Radrix Systems, S&S MedCart, Sectra and Sony.

If you don’t find the specific PACS you are looking for, you can post a free buying request which typically will bring you a number of competitive quotes from MedWOW’s global inventories.

Medical Imaging Workstations Means More Effectiveness

The medical imaging workstation is situated in the field of information technology and has become an essential device in the clinical workflow of radiology departments. The images produced by digital x-ray computed radiography, direct digital radiography, computed tomography (CT) scanner, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, ultrasound or any of the other digital imaging tools are stored in the medical imaging’s workstation’s PACS (or picture archiving and communication system), and then may be retrieved, viewed and worked on, according to need.

The medical imaging workstation system was created in order to provide more economical and efficient storage of images, while giving quick access to rapid image retrieval, reports from multiple modalities and concurrent access from several different workstations at the same time. A PACS medical imaging workstation consists of four main mechanisms: imaging modalities such as CT and MRI, a protected system for the transmission of patient information, workstations for interpreting and reviewing images, and archives for the storage and retrieval of images and reports. Combined with already obtainable, as well as up-and-coming internet technology, PACS has the capability of distributing efficient, quick access to images, interpretations, and related data. PACS breaks down the physical and time barriers associated with traditional film-based image retrieval, distribution, and display, saving medical facilities both time and money.

In the past, before the existence of medical imaging workstations, everything had to be printed out on paper and film imaging necessitated expensive, toxic chemicals. In addition, thousands of patient records had to be stores in a hard copy format, which had to be organized and weren’t easy to access. Since PACS and other types of medical imaging workstations have been developed, medical facility efficiency has greatly improved, the time wasted on routine tasks has decreased and most importantly, the focus on caring for the patient has become easier as many tasks are automated.

This means that physicians and technicians consulting on a patient’s case can easily view the same images and communicate with each other. Most medical imaging workstations allow you to sort through thousands of digital images and work with the ones you want, while sharing them with others both onsite and offsite. Daily work can be backed-up and automatically and information from multiple workstations can be stored on a server both onsite and offsite.

Many medical imaging workstations also allow you to add text to digital images. High-resolution display monitors are used to guarantee high-quality presentation of the images, and a color display monitor is also available for use with the radiology information system (RIS), so that color images can be best viewed. The RIS part of the system allows you to schedule patients, order tests, and write reports, upgrading your radiology department for the ultimate in efficiency.