One Size (Doesn't) Fit All

The current radiology workflow model is inherently flawed by its emphasis on quantity over quality, limited accountability, and relative inflexibility of the technology. This adverse affect of technology inflexibility is of particular importance within radiology, because it is the single medical specialty completely dependent on technology for all its existence. For practicing radiologists, the human-computer interaction involves a multitude of individual events that collectively constitute the interpretation process. These individual workflow steps include image retrieval, display, presentation, navigation, processing, manipulation, decision support, and reporting. Considering the heterogeneous nature of the diverse population of end users, it is no surprise that the relative rigidity of the supporting technology creates a tremendous burden on radiologists' performance. The ideal scenario would be the creation of adaptive technology, which would consist of flexible and intuitive software that adapts to the unique needs and preferences of each individual end user, as well as the specific task at hand, while maintaining “best practice” guidelines. This interactive software would take into account a number of variables (education and training, computer experience, personality, visual perception, motor skills) to create user-specific profiles, which can be stored in a centralized database, independent of the specific vendor and technology being used. This user-specific software would also integrate affective computing technologies to dynamically adjust to end users' ever changing emotional states and stress levels. The end result would be the creation of intuitive technology that dynamically adapts to the changing needs and abilities of users, as opposed to the current inflexible technology paradigm.