Understanding DICOM and IHE.

ANOTHER REVOLUTION IS taking place in radiology. This revolution differs from the previous 2 decades in which digital computers began to dominate imaging. Although the 1980s and 1990s brought us computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed radiography, digital subtraction angiography, and softcopy viewing (filmless radiology), the emphasis today is on developing seamless communication of medical devices or connectivity to maximize efficiency and workflow while simultaneously minimizing errors. The topic of this chapter is to discuss the influence of several technical initiatives that were created to improve communication between medical devices. The more global of these initiatives is Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), which was developed for the purpose of improving the methods by which information systems (computers) share information in health care. Two of the standards that have been developed to promote this integration include digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) and the HL7 (health level seven) protocol. DICOM 3.0 has become the most widely implemented and supported communications standard for medical imaging and is also gaining acceptance and popularity beyond the radiology community. A nontechnical explanation of these standards and the relationship of these technologies to the integration process will be discussed as well as their significance in practice.