DICOM Metadata Access, Consolidation and Usage in Radiology Department Performance Analysis. A Non-proprietary Approach

In a clinical environment are produced on daily basis huge volumes of information. In the radiology context, the realization of an increasing number of studies, in particular those associated with modalities that produce huge amounts of images, has given rise to large PACS archives. Proprietary tools available for the analysis of the stored information are limited and usually do not allow efficient analysis of the radiology department performance.In this work we demonstrate that with seamless access to DICOM metadata we can provide a consolidated view of departmental production data regardless of the heterogeneous imaging sources and subsidiary information systems. With our non-proprietary approach it is therefore feasible to conceive indicators that may be included in wider scope institutional performance evaluation.The results from the consolidated DICOM information analysis of more than 20 million images, belonging to more than 467 thousand studies performed on more than 162 thousand patients, justify the relevance of the implementation of similar methodologies in order to optimize the management of Radiology departments.