Four-year enterprise PACS support trend analysis.

While health care facilities recognize the need for dedicated picture archiving and communication system (PACS) staff at the time of the initial implementation of PACS, they often do not plan accordingly for ongoing or increasing PACS support needs as a PACS matures. This article reviews trends in a health care system's PACS support data over 4 years to show how PACS support needs evolve over time. PACS support items were logged and categorized over this period and were used by the health care system to become more proactive in system support and adjust staffing levels accordingly. This article details how PACS support needs change over the life of a PACS installation and can be used as a model for health care facilities planning for future PACS support needs.