PACS workstation functions: usage differences between radiologists and MICU physicians

In previous studies of workstation usage by physicians in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, we have compared which image manipulation functions were used when viewing digitized film and phosphor plate (CR) images. We had found some differences in the use of such features, particularly a decrease in the use of brightness and contrast adjustment, for CR images. We had predicted this because of the improved uniformity of CR images compared to conventional film [Horii 95]. We were interested in how radiologists viewing similar CR images would differ (if at all) from their MICU physician colleagues. We found that the radiologists used the brightness and contrast adjustments to a greater degree than the MICU physicians when viewing CR images from MICU patients. Use of other image manipulation functions by the radiologists was considerably lower; in this first series of readings, zoom, invert grayscale, and high-resolution display controls were not used at all.