The Challenges of Picture Archiving and Communication System from the User's Perspective in the Teaching Hospitals Equipped with the System

Nowadays, the advent of digital medical equipment and using information technology especially in the medical field are accompanied with many advantages and challenges. Therefore, identifying the challenges of modern technologies can significantly help the managers to use technology properly. The aim of this study was to assess the challenges of picture archiving and communication system (PACS) from the users’ perspective.
This descriptive analytical study was performed on 53 users of PACS in 2014. Data were collected by a questionnaire that its reliability was calculated by Cronbach’s Alpha (0.78). Data were analyzed and descriptive statistics (frequency distribution table, mean, index of dispersion, and analysis of variance) were obtained using SPSS 18.
It was found that 26.4 percent of the users used PACS for 5 years, 58.8 percent used the system for 2-5 years, and 75.5 percent of diagnostic imaging department users also used this system. The results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that only access to the system is the significant variable, and the average score of challenges in the clinics is higher than those in other departments.
The results show that PACS users expressed the opposite opinion about the challenges indicating that users have relative satisfaction from the system and implementation of this system was greatly successful.