Defining the PACS profession: an initial survey of skills, training, and capabilities for PACS administrators.

Publication/Presentation Date

12-1-2005

Abstract

The need for specialized individuals to manage picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) has been recognized with the creation of a new professional title: PACS administrator. This position requires skill sets that bridge the current domains of radiology technologists (RTs), information systems analysts, and radiology administrators. Health care organizations, however, have reported difficulty in defining the functions that a PACS administrator should perform-a challenge compounded when the tries to combine this complex set of capabilities into one individual. As part of a larger effort to define the PACS professional, we developed an extensive but not exclusive consensus list of business, technical, and behavioral competencies desirable in the dedicated PACS professional. Through an on-line survey, radiologists, RTs, information technology specialists, corporate information officers, and radiology administrators rated the importance of these competencies. The results of this survey are presented, and the implications for implementation in training and certification efforts are discussed.

Volume

18

Issue

4

First Page

252

Last Page

259

ISSN

0897-1889

Disciplines

Diagnosis | Medicine and Health Sciences | Other Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment | Radiology

PubMedID

16249838

Department(s)

Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Medical Imaging

Document Type

Article

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