The Patient Archiving and Communication System (PACS) has revolutionised the way that radiographs are stored and viewed in orthopaedic surgery. A recent advance has been the ability to upload images directly from the image intensifier to PACS. We postulated that this facility may reduce the need for post operative ‘check’ radiographs following many orthopaedic trauma procedures. We performed an audit of post-operative radiographs requested in our University Hospital over three time periods: 31 days immediately before the direct upload facility was introduced, 31 days immediately after and a 31 day period two months later. Details from the operating lists were cross-referenced with image intensifier records to identify cases where it had been used. PACS records were then checked to determine if these images were available to view and if a formal ‘check’ radiograph was performed in the period prior to discharge.Introduction
Patients and Method
