The need and user requirements for integrating images with radiology reports.

Radiology reports are likely to be more useful if they contain appropriate graphic material. Diagnostic conclusions and recommendations become more convincing and useful when the clinician personally can review the image on which these are based. Modern desk-top publishing techniques make it possible to incorporate radiographic images, appropriately selected and annotated, as part of the radiology report. It is believed that such illustrated reports would be preferred by referring physicians, notwithstanding a significant loss of image detail. A survey of these referring physicians was carried out to determine whether this hypothesis was correct.