Picture archiving and communications systems (Pacs) are being viewed as a key technology by an increasing number of healthcare practitioners around the world, says Datamonitor's report, Digital Imaging: Reducing Medical Error and Improving Diagnostics.
The report predicts the Pacs market in Europe and North America will reach a value of $8.6 billion by 2011, compared to an estimated $4.9 billion today, providing considerable opportunities for technology companies.
According to Datamonitor, with Pacs technology evolving from being purely radiology-centric, it is not only moving into different healthcare departments but also other industry sectors, including academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies.
"Common industry estimates suggest 5% to 20% of traditional medical film images are lost-in-transit annually," says Justin Davidson, associate analyst at Datamonitor, and author of the study. "Patients may have to have x-rays retaken and their diagnoses may be compromised due to missing medical histories. With Pacs, the chances of medical records being lost are very small, [this being] just one example of its advantages."
He says technological developments in digital imaging mean Pacs has evolved so it can now be integrated into cardiology, pathology and dermatology, driving demand for more deployments within a single institution.
With Pacs installed, Davidson says clinicians have access to large quantities of medical history at their fingertips, enabling quick cross-referencing, saving time when dealing with complex cases. For radiologists, Pacs enables a faster turnaround time with each patient, creating a more efficient system.
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