Quality Assurance

• MEDICAL IMAGING INFORMATICS SYSTEMS EVALUATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE: encompasses the processes and methodologies involved in assessing and ensuring the quality, effectiveness, and safety of informatics systems used in medical imaging
• DIAGNOSTIC FACILITY: Any facility in which radiation is used in any procedure that involves irradiation of any part of the human forthe purpose of diagnosis or evaluation
• Irradiation refers to the process of exposing an object, substance, orliving tissue to radiation
• Modality to Modality: DICOM
• Modalities to PACS server: DICOM
• PACS Serverto Modalities : DICOM and HL7
• PACS Serverto WS, Laptop, & Tablet : DICOM and HL7
• PACS Serverto RIS & EHR (Electronic Health Record): HL7
• QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM: Organized effort by the staff operating a facility to ensure that the diagnostic images produced are of sufficiently high quality
• QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM: Consistently provide adequate diagnostic information at the lowest possible cost with least possible exposure of the patient to radiation
• The quality assurance program is approved by the World Health Organization
• the principle of PACS follows reduction in lost and misplaced films and reports
• the principle of PACS follows reduction of exposures because of the ability to process images
• the principle of PACS follows improved diagnostic accuracy because of image processing
• the principle of PACS follows faster diagnosis
• the principle of PACS follows increase efficiency of departmental operations
• the principle of PACS follows savings in capital cost for darkrooms and storage space
• the principle of PACS follows saving in archiving personnel
• TECHNOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF PACS: Concerns about the devices or modalities that use PACS
• Technological evaluation of PACS to be considered: Performance criteria, Requirements for integration in the existing situation (imaging devices, HIS, public telecommunication networks)
• one main issue for the technological evaluation of PACS is technical performance of the system
• one main issue for the technological evaluation of PACS is integration of system with existing imaging devices
• one main issue for the technological evaluation of PACS is integration of the system with the RIS and HIS
• CLINICAL EVALUATION OF PACS: Involves a direct comparison with conventional diagnostic activity carried our on films
• Main issues of clinical evalutation of PACS: Clinical acceptability of the system, Ease of use, Diagnostic efficacy (CRT vs. Film)
• TELERADIOLOGY: Transmission of a full set of full integrity of images to a center distant from where the images were generated
• Purpose of teleradiology: Primary diagnostic interpretation, Expert secondary consultation, Preoperative surgical planning
• teleradiology provide access to medical image reporting for underserviced centers
• teleradiology support patient consultations and inform patient treatment decisions
• teleradiology provide access to image interpretation for remote regions
• teleradiology provide reporting in shifts to provide timely interpretations after normal working hours
• Through the internet, PACS facilities can transmit information to healthcare workers, including radiologists, physicians, and patients in remote locations
• Objectives of the quality assurance program: Maintain optimal quality of diagnostic images, Reduce unnecessary radiation exposure to patient and staff, Cost effective
• primary goal of quality assurance program: Ensure the consistent provision of prompt and accurate diagnosis of patients
• QUALITY CONTROL: “ Integral part of Quality Assurance”
• QUALITY CONTROL: Involves specific actions design to keep measurable aspects of the process involved in manufacturing a product(image) or providing a service within specified limits
• first step in quality control: Acceptance testing to detect defects in equipment that is newly installed / undergone major repair
• second step in quality control: Establishment of baseline performance of the equipment
• third step in quality control: Detection and diagnosis of changes in equipment performance before they become apparent in images
• fourth step in quality control: verification of causes of deterioration in equipment and have it corrected