An Evaluation of Digital Imaging Studies in an Outpatient Orthopedic Setting

Background: Distribution of radiographic images in the outpatient setting on compact discs-recordable (CD-R) is commonplace. Opening, manipulating and interpreting these can be challenging. This study evaluated the availability and ease of use of CD-R to evaluate digital images in an outpatient orthopedic setting. Methods: 118 CD-R containing diagnostic studies were evaluated by seven board certified orthopaedic surgeons. Surgeon age and self-perceived “tech savvy” scores were tabulated using a visual analog scale (VAS). Surgeons evaluated: ability and number of computers to open, autorun, and specific reader software. Time to load was recorded in seconds, type of study, presence of “not for diagnostic use”, and if the disc required additional software. Studies were graded using a VAS for ease of opening, ability to move from image to image and/or between series, to manipulate the image, and to zoom and pan. Results: There were 79 radiographs, 29 MRI’s, and 10 CT scans. Seven (6%) had to be manually opened and four (3%) required software installation. Thirteen (11%) contained a warning that the studies should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Six (5%) of the studies could not be opened. For the opened studies, average time from disk insertion to image was 43.7 seconds overall (range 3-350), 65.3 seconds (range 21-191) for MRI and CT, and 35.2 seconds (range 5-177) for radiographs. Conclusion: The present digital imaging systems include different software types and a variety of interfaces. Improving this would decrease time and effort necessary to open and evaluate these studies, and improve efficiency. Level of evidence: III Keywords