DICOM for Doctors and IT Managers WG 10 Taipei March 22, 2007 WG 10 Taipei March 22, 2007

DICOM today  DICOM:  DICOM become bigger and bigger with lot of functionalities.  26 working groups are working hard to expand the standard.  Real world:  Very few of recent functionalities are implemented on sites.  It is sometime difficult to find two products implementing SCP and SCU role for some functionalities.  Result: users are not motivated to invest on these functionalities (when they know its exists…).  DICOM:  DICOM become bigger and bigger with lot of functionalities.  26 working groups are working hard to expand the standard.  Real world:  Very few of recent functionalities are implemented on sites.  It is sometime difficult to find two products implementing SCP and SCU role for some functionalities.  Result: users are not motivated to invest on these functionalities (when they know its exists…).

DICOM today  Vendors (marketing guys?) point of view:  Users don’t ask for, therefore we don’t implement it.  Such functions are optional because users don’t want to pay for functionalities they don’t use.  Vendors (marketing guys?) point of view:  Users don’t ask for, therefore we don’t implement it.  Such functions are optional because users don’t want to pay for functionalities they don’t use.

DICOM today  Users side:  Radiologists, IT specialists and administrative persons will never become DICOM guru!!!  They cannot be aware about all functionalities available in DICOM.  They cannot know advantages for them of such functionalities.  Sometime vendors implement functionalities not required by users: how many users really required 64 or more detector CT scan? But they buy it and are happy to have it!  Users side:  Radiologists, IT specialists and administrative persons will never become DICOM guru!!!  They cannot be aware about all functionalities available in DICOM.  They cannot know advantages for them of such functionalities.  Sometime vendors implement functionalities not required by users: how many users really required 64 or more detector CT scan? But they buy it and are happy to have it!

DICOM today  Users side:  Often, when functionalities are optional, CEO decline the offer (or the request) to buy it…  There is a lack of global vision of a fully integrated “landscape” of the workflow inside the institution: an educational task for IHE in liaison with DICOM?  Users side:  Often, when functionalities are optional, CEO decline the offer (or the request) to buy it…  There is a lack of global vision of a fully integrated “landscape” of the workflow inside the institution: an educational task for IHE in liaison with DICOM?

Needs for three set of actions  Two set of actions because two targets:  Users,  Vendors,  For each target:  Information on the functionalities (what its do),  Explanation of the benefit (why shall I implement or buy it).  And the third one: DICOM standard developers  Plans for education at the same time they develop supplements.  Two set of actions because two targets:  Users,  Vendors,  For each target:  Information on the functionalities (what its do),  Explanation of the benefit (why shall I implement or buy it).  And the third one: DICOM standard developers  Plans for education at the same time they develop supplements.

Stop the dialog of the deaf!!!  Vendor representatives said: “Users don't ask for such feature, so we don’t implement it”.  On the user side: “Users are not able to ask for, because they are not DICOM guru and don't know what is exactly in DICOM and what is really possible”.  Vendor representatives said: “Users don't ask for such feature, so we don’t implement it”.  On the user side: “Users are not able to ask for, because they are not DICOM guru and don't know what is exactly in DICOM and what is really possible”.

Users  Needs for a comprehensive educational campaign – possibly conducted in conjunction with major professional societies – to help physicians and IT managers to understand:  What isDICOM,  What it has to offer to them,  How they can make better use of it in their practice.  How such an activity might be organized and provided?  Needs for a comprehensive educational campaign – possibly conducted in conjunction with major professional societies – to help physicians and IT managers to understand:  What isDICOM,  What it has to offer to them,  How they can make better use of it in their practice.  How such an activity might be organized and provided?

Users  Users are not identical, needs to distinguish:  Radiologists (end user),  IT specialists,  Biomedical engineers,  Hospital CEO’s (they have the money…).  Explanations have to be specific for each category.  Very simple and clear language.  Based on daily practice and workflow management.  Users are not identical, needs to distinguish:  Radiologists (end user),  IT specialists,  Biomedical engineers,  Hospital CEO’s (they have the money…).  Explanations have to be specific for each category.  Very simple and clear language.  Based on daily practice and workflow management.

Vendors  Too many of our DICOM working groups are relying on only two or three persons to get all of their work done. Should we be thinking about how to get more people involved -- e.g., by encouraging our workers to get on the lecture circuit and present talks at SIIM, HIMSS, and IHE demos as we already do at SPIE? Are there international groups where DICOM is not represented but ought to be?

DICOM  How we:  Identify  Communicate the value of the DICOM standard supplements.  How we:  Identify  Communicate the value of the DICOM standard supplements.

New Work Item Requests  This is also important for the approval of new work items:  New work items just for the sake of keeping the activities in the committee going should not be accepted.  We do need more buy-in from the industry for new work items, and a clear indication of it's relevance and value.  This is also important for the approval of new work items:  New work items just for the sake of keeping the activities in the committee going should not be accepted.  We do need more buy-in from the industry for new work items, and a clear indication of it's relevance and value.