Toward a multidimensional assessment of picture archiving and communication system success

Objectives: Based on a prevalent framework in the information systems field, this study proposes and describes an integrated model for evaluating picture archiving and communication system (PACS) success from multiple users' perspectives. Methods: Our study details the validation process of the proposed model at a large tertiary-care teaching hospital in Canada. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to assess the psychometric properties of the measurement instrument and test the research hypotheses. Results: Our findings clearly reveal that radiologists, technologists, and clinicians have different views regarding the factors influencing PACS success. For instance, the results for radiologists show that their concern with efficiency and productivity is best guaranteed by a system that is reliable and easy to use. Furthermore, that only perceived system usefulness influenced clinicians' satisfaction with PACS is a reflection of the primary impact that technology has on their work, namely, the ability to have instant access to images from any point in the hospital. Even though, overall, all three groups view the adoption of PACS positively, the mean scores indicate that radiologists and technologists seem to be more satisfied and their expectations to be met at a higher level than clinicians. Conclusions: We believe the measurement instruments developed in this study can be used as a diagnostic tool by project managers interested in better understanding the extent to which different groups of stakeholders perceive the deployment of PACS as being successful and how factors influencing perceptions of PACS success vary across user types.