HIS-PACS Coupling In Practice

Abstract

The existence of a link between a HIS, incorporating a RIS, and a PACS is one of the most indispensible prerequisites to perform a clinical evaluation study of a PACS in practice. The two main reasons for realizing a IIIS-PACS coupling are concerned with 1) proper image management e.g. in order to achieve acceptable waiting times and 2) the user need of having all patient relevant data available in the same workstation. A first phase coupling between an existing HIS and a just installed PACS has been realized by BAZIS in the Utrecht University Hospital in the Netherlands. These activities were carried out as part of the Dutch PACS Project, a collaboration in the PACS field of BAZIS, the Utrecht University Hospital (AZU) and Philips Medical Systems. For the first phase only HIS data of the in-patients of one particular ward of Internal Medicine were transmitted using a one-way dataflow (from. HIS to PACS). In phase two the coupling will he hi-directional and more departments will be part of the experiment. In phase three of the coupling project a more general. HIS-PACS interface will be developed, independent of the HIS and PACS manufacturers. In April 1988 the first public data exchange (patient data, order data, reports) between the BAZIS/ZIS and Philips/MARCOM system has been demonstrated. This was the first working example of a HIS-PACS coupling worldwide to our knowledge. This paper gives an overview of the experimental set-up, the demonstration during the 6th EuroPACS meeting , the results and problems encountered thusfar and statistical data from daily practice.