Implementing an Automated System for Acquiring Patient Photographs Simultaneously with Radiographs in a Clinical PACS Environment

The addition of patient photographs to radiology studies has a number of possible benefits including reducing wrong-patient errors [1, 2], providing context to the radiologist for interpretation, and reconnecting the radiologist with the patient. By providing the radiologist with photographs corresponding to radiology studies, wrong-patient errors can be identified readily when comparative studies are available because the photographs would not match. For radiographic studies without comparison, wrong-patient errors can still be identified if photographs are matched with photographs in the electronic medical record. Patient photographs can also provide radiologists with context for interpretation helping them determine, for example, the orientation of lines and tubes that may not be readily apparent from the radiograph alone. Lastly, the addition of patient photographs has been shown to promote empathy and potentially result in a more accurate reading [3]. Even with these benefits it is important that the addition of photos does not interfere with standard reading quality. The work of Krupinski, et al. [4] has suggested that the addition of photographs does not increase the overall viewing time and that photographs may aid certain types of image interpretation.