title: Policies and procedures for reviewing medical images from portable media: survey of radiology departments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to survey current practices for portable media (CDs and DVDs) use for medical imaging in both academic and nonacademic radiology departments in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  This survey was a stratified, nonrandom sample, 22-question electronic survey, using SurveyMonkey, of members of the Association of Administrators in Academic Radiology, the Association for Medical Imaging Management, and the University HealthSystem Consortium, conducted in November 2009. Questions were grouped by media production and media viewing practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and two individual responses to the survey were received. Ninety-eight percent of respondents said that their institutions produced Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)-compliant media, with only 2.0% uncertain. Only 22.2% of respondents claimed that their institutions produced Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Portable Data for Imaging (PDI)-compliant media, while 71.6% were uncertain. Rates of DICOM and IHE PDI compliance did not differ between academic and nonacademic centers. As for testing digital media produced at the institutions for DICOM and IHE PDI compliance, only 16.0% of respondents' institutions routinely did so.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three main problem areas regarding portable media became evident from this study: (1) access, (2) importability, and (3) viewing issues, and problems with any of the 3 can delay patient care. Noncompliance and a lack of knowledge about compliance were found to be major issues in the present study, more so for IHE PDI than for DICOM, and there is much room for improvement. Recommendations include that radiology practices should routinely generate only media compliant with DICOM and IHE PDI and should test for compliance.
authors.affiliation: The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kalia
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carrino
authors.forename: Katarzyna J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Macura
mesh_terms: D016250:Compact Disks; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014742:Videodisc Recording