Introducing PACS to the late majority. A longitudinal study.

The purpose of this study was to study whether the benefits from introducing a picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) reported by innovators and early adopters also can be achieved by a hospital belonging to the "late majority" and to see whether such benefits are sustained, using report turnaround time (RTAT) as an indicator. Activity-related data was retrieved from the radiology information system (RIS) over a 2-year period. The median RTAT for preliminary reports was initially reduced from 12 to 2 h then increased to 3 h. For final reports, the median RTAT was initially reduced from 23 to 13 h then gradually reverted back to 22 h. Innovators and early adopters demonstrate not only that positive results can be achieved but also the importance of involving key personnel. We believe that such involvement and the focus on wider organizational concerns are important when introducing PACS to the late majority, both for achieving and sustaining positive results.