title: Efficiency in the transmission of information through digital imaging and communications in medicine using security mechanisms: tests with DISCUS.
abstract: This article describes our experience in using a Picture Archiving and Communications System, known as Secure Medical Image Information System, based on the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine standard that supports the use of secure transmissions, from the point of view of how the use of secure sending methods has an effect on the efficiency in the transmission according to the network employed, to quantify productivity loss due to the encryption, the secure transmission, and the subsequent decryption. To test the Secure Medical Image Information System, a series of medical data transmission were conducted from A Coruña (Spain) to the Virgen de las Nieves Hospital, situated 1,000 km away, in Granada (Spain). Once we studied the networking infrastructure of the hospital and its available image generation devices, we subsequently carried out a series of measurements during the transmissions, which allowed us to analyze the behavior of the system with different network schemes and connection speeds. The results obtained from these investigations demonstrate that the impact of secure data-sending methods on the productivity of the system is higher in networks whose capacities are higher and it is not affected by sending data during different periods in the day. In this regard, the presented approach may serve as a model for other small, and possibly mid-sized, medical centers.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Medical Informatics and Radiological Diagnosis, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Servia
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mato
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dorado
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Novoa
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pazos
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003199:Computer Systems; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration; D008122:Local Area Networks; D008498:Medical Record Linkage / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012986:Software Validation; D013030:Spain; D018511:Systems Integration; D013997:Time Factors