A technical, financial and clinical cost benefit analysis of integrating a DICOM based PACS at the Kigali University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

This study aimed at providing a technical, clinical and financial cost benefit analysis of the integration of DICOM based PACS at Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK). CHUK’s radiology department is a busy department which is enduring chronic difficulties related to the management of the radiology department activities, low productivity, and poor quality of radiology service delivery and so on. The overall objective was to develop a solid understanding of the clinical, financial and technical costs and benefits of integrating a DICOM based PACS at Kigali University Teaching Hospital thereby taking into account the improvement of the quality and productivity of health care service delivery. A retrospective, descriptive and analytic design guided the study. A random sampling strategy was used to select the unit of the study. A quantitative and qualitative method was used to analyze data. A questionnaire, activity and financial reports were used to collect the data. The study has a hypothesis saying that “The integration of DICOM based PACS is clinically, technically and financially beneficial to CHUK.” Convincing evidence has been collected relating to present clinical, financial and technical problems and risks before integration of DICOM based PACS at CHUK. Some of the results were presented in tables, others in figures and later discussed. The results found revealed clinical, financial and technical problems encountered in the radiology department’s daily activities. On the other hand, this study revealed an avoidable number of clinical, financial and technical factors causing cost of loss and also affecting the radiology department productivity and healthcare service delivery. However indications have been provided that DICOM/PACS integration interfaced with other information technology systems could also achieve a number of financial challenges related to the expensive cost of x-ray films and consumables, cost of lost x-ray film results before medical ward round, cost of duplicated x-ray images, cost of erroneous prints of x-ray film results, unbilled performed x-ray imaging procedures, disposal of radiology waste materials and paper based request forms for x-ray exams. In this study, evidence confirming the hypothesis saying was given. At the end of the study, the recommendations were addressed to the ministry of health, the Kigali University teaching hospital and other researchers.