[en] Following a preliminary review of diagnostic radiology operations at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, in which several major activities were identified as amenable to automatic data processing (ADP) techniques, a pilot study of computer applications was undertaken with the cooperation and support of the National Center for Radiological Health. The pilot study was designed to test the feasibility of applying ADP techniques to the reporting of diagnostic radiology findings and to the control of x-ray film library transactions. The results of the pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of applying ADP techniques to the reporting of radiographic diagnoses with a significant reduction in the elapsed time associated with the x-ray consultation request-report cycle. The tests also provided a basis for evaluating the remote terminal configuration and the procedures developed to implement the systems design. In general, the findings were sufficiently encouraging to proceed with further development of the system, with the knowledge that specific modifications were required, particularly with regard to remote terminal devices, before the application of ADP techniques could be considered operational in diagnostic radiology

[en] The Bureau of Radiological Health and the National Bureau of Standards conducted a nationwide survey of cobalt-60 teletherapy facilities to determine their accuracy in delivery of a prescribed dose to a phantom. Participation was obtained from 684 respondents or 75 percent of US facilities. For each cobalt-60 unit the average dose recorded on five dosimeters was within 5 percent of the prescribed value for 83 percent of the respondents and only exceeded a 10 percent difference for 3 percent of the respondents. Sufficient information for reconstruction of dose calculations was available for 87 percent of the participating facilities. Of these reconstructed calculations, 56 percent were within 1 percent of the prescribed dose of 300 rads. The analysis of data from the survey showed that better performance were related to a number of factors. Among these were expressing the machine calibration in terms of dose rate, performing the machine calibration on an annual basis, and correcting for source decay on a monthly basis. Larger facilities achieved better results than smaller facilities when calculating the absorbed dose rate. Also, each 4 machine characteristics (isocentric mounting, short exposure time, high normalized output, and long treatment distance) were related to better performance with regard to both dosimeter readings and calculated doses. Larger facilities were more likely to be using a cobalt-60 unit having those characteristics

No abstract available

[en] The Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the Johns Hopkins University Hospital and Applied Physics Laboratory, several DOD components, and the Veterans Administration are developing and evaluating prototype low-cost radiology reporting systems that incorporate the latest in flat screen color graphics display, microprocessing controls, and speech recognition technology. Reports generated by the prototype systems are available immediately. Tri-Services Medical Information Systems (TRIMIS) participation promotes compatibility with radiology information systems. Starting in the fall of 1986, prototype systems will be evaluated clinically at Army and Navy hospitals (with Air Force participation) and the VA Hospital in the Washington, D.C., area and at Johns Hopkins Hospital

[en] The Digital Imaging Network (DIN) Project is a collaborative effort involving the Department of Defense, Public Health Service, Veterans Administration, MITRE Corporation, university medical centers, and private industry. The objectives are to install, operate, and evaluate two different prototype DIN/picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), and to develop guidelines and specifications for operational DIN/PACS in military and civilian settings. The evaluation emphasizes clinical acceptance and utility, technical and operational feasibility, and impact on radiology department function and the clinical care process. New imaging devices being developed for combat use are evaluated to ensure compatibility with future DIN/PACS

[en] A description is presented of a model being used in the USA to determine the genetically significant dose to the population as a consequence of radiodiagnostic procedures