Remote working has drastically increased since the start of the pandemic and many experts believe the trend is here to stay. As such, radiologists must know how to optimize their at-home workstations.
One key concern is the use of nonmedical displays, researchers explained Nov. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Relying on monitors that lack certain technical capabilities or obscure image features can significantly impact radiologists’ performance.
“It is essential that physicians, physicists, PACS personnel, and administrators address the logistical challenges related to remote reading and understand the performance, calibration, and quality assurance requirements necessary to ensure proper image presentation,” Michael Silosky, MS, with the Department of Radiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and co-authors noted.
The group outlined tips for remote readers, which have been summarized below.
1. All displays have built-in features that impact image clarity, including brightness (known as luminance), consistency of brightness across the screen (uniformity), how close pixels are packed together (pixel pitch) and the relationship between pixel values and corresponding brightness (response function). Understanding these should be the first step toward calibrating your display.
2. The American College of Radiology and other imaging groups have developed a technical standards document with precise display metrics. Many non-medical displays will fall short of such requirements and need additional adjustments.
3. Medical displays are typically calibrated to the DICOM Grayscale Standard Display Function but few commercial systems have this built-in, with potentially negative effects on image details. In these cases, rads must go through a third party to modify their workstation.
4. Quality assurance is paramount for at-home displays and testing should be completed at baseline and periodic time intervals. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine offers a useful guide to do so.
5. Each accreditation and regulatory group may have different quality and performance criteria, the authors noted. Radiologists must be aware of local agency specifications for their diagnostic displays.
“The overarching goal should be to maximize the information presented to the reader in a consistent manner across all devices,” the authors explained. “Displays that lack adequate technical capabilities or proper calibration can make an image look different than it appears on displays that meet established performance requirements.”
Check out more tips here.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.