The functionality and performance expectations of all PACS components must be specified at the time of purchase and tested completely upon delivery to assure customer satisfaction and successful adoption of the new technology. This process may be more elaborate if the customer agrees to serve as a Beta test site for a new component or a new revision of an existing component.A carefully designed test plan will save time at installation, will allow the customer and vendor to agree on expectations, and will assure that the installation will proceed as planned. This paper describes the test procedure used at the University of Florida to accept each PACS component, either a commercial product, or one developed in house. A set of documents contain descriptions of the pre-installation environment, sets of studies to be used in the test, installation checklist, functional usage reports, subjective evaluations, and problem reporting forms. Training and user documentation is also reviewed and 'help lists' are created to help users perform the most common functions. Although details in the documents are changed to match the type of component being tested, the general form of the test remains the same. A formal procedure for testing the functionality and performance of new equipment can save time for both the vendor and the customer and, if specified at the time of purchase, can serve to document the expectations of the customer. Following these procedures will assure a successful installation and improve customer satisfaction.

Date Published: 22 May 1997
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 3035, Medical Imaging 1997: PACS Design and Evaluation: Engineering and Clinical Issues, (22 May 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.274597

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3035:
Medical Imaging 1997: PACS Design and Evaluation: Engineering and Clinical Issues
Steven C. Horii M.D.; G. James Blaine, Editor(s)