The provincial Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) enables health care providers across the province to view, manage, distribute and electronically store images and related medical reports on a secure computer system from any location, regardless of where the test was performed. This has replaced the use of film for diagnostic services such as x-rays, ultrasounds, computed tomography (CT) and mammography.
The PACS program has resulted in increased productivity and improved efficiency within our healthcare system with a significant reduction in repeated exams and patient transfers. This program has improved patient care by providing remote sites more timely access to radiologists and specialists, ensuring improved access regardless of geography. For example, PACS allows diagnostic images administered by a radiology technologist to be viewed and analyzed on a computer screen by a radiologist anywhere. This benefit of enhanced patient care in rural areas of the province was acknowledged by three professional groups (physicians, radiologists, and radiology technologists) in a post-PACS survey as part of a benefits evaluation of the PACS program undertaken by the Centre for Health Information’s Research and Evaluation Department.
"From a radiologist view point, PACS and the Teleradiology network have made a tremendous improvement in patient care and the ability of radiologists to work more efficiently and accurately,” says Dr. Benvon Cramer, Professor and Chair Janeway Child Health Centre Radiology Department. “Previous examinations are now instantly available for comparison and only a minimal number of examinations are lost. Clinicians now ask for opinions on DI exams from across the province and "on" services are provided to areas that do not have on-site radiology coverage. There are several examples where Teleradiology has had significant impact on patient care. Teleradiology is not just for radiologists, but has the potential to benefit all clinicians and patients."
The former Central East Health Care Institutions Board implemented the first regional PACS system in 1998 under the principle of A5: Any Patent, Any Image, Any Report, Any Where and Any Time. In October 2007, the last regional PACS system was linked to a provincial system thanks to an initiative of the Department of Health and Community Services, in collaboration with the Regional Health Authorities, and Canada Health Infoway.
In the future, PACS will be tightly integrated with the Electronic Health Record, removing the traditional barrier between images and other patient records and providing a single source for clinical information.
When a patient is sent in from a rural site to a tertiary care site, we have full access to most of the work that has been done at the regional hospitals. So that's been a huge asset because we haven't had to repeat everything again. (Radiologist)
When the radiologist in Gander who reported most of the Nuclear Medicine studies was ill for a protracted period of time, I actually reported virtually all the Nuclear Medicine done in Gander. They were able to send directly to my workstation in St.John’s. So absolutely it was a great help there. (Nuclear Medicine Specialist)
The other group that you don't really consider, the neonatologists, so you have babies that are born and are in trouble, particularly in the middle of the winter, so they may be stranded for a couple of days because of weather. So the (neonatologists) are monitoring the chest x-rays as if they were in their own department and giving advice on the phone. (Radiologist)