The north-west region community PACS study.
A recent study in the West Surrey Health Authority demonstrated substantial advantages from viewing a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) as a whole-community asset, that is, a community PACS (CPACS). To test how this concept could be translated to other situations, the present study extrapolated the CPACS concept to the north-west healthcare region of the UK (population around seven million). A CPACS is a network covering multiple hospitals and community organizations, with a single archive and a broadband network to support it. A CPACS would provide a much better service to patients. It would bring financial economies of scale of up to 17%. It could provide the big modernization idea which brings clinicians, managers and technologists together. On the other hand, it could well be too big to manage.
Navein
John
J
Modernising Healthcare, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. john.navein@ntlworld.com
D000328:Adult; D019058:Community Networks; D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019112:Teleradiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006113:United Kingdom