Olivier Jenkins' story
PACS is digital imaging technology that has replaced the old way of capturing x-rays and scans on film and paper, enabling clinical images to be stored electronically and viewed on screen, much like a digital camera. PACS is now being used in every hospital trust in England.
Olivier Jenkins, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Luckily for Olivier Jenkins, this state of the art digital technology had been successfully implemented at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust by the time he chose to celebrate his 28th birthday.
As IT analyst Olivier explains: "I'd organised an adventure weekend of activities for my birthday and it all kicked off with a day of in-door snowboarding with my brother and a group of friends. It was my last ride of the day and as I was doing some jumps I clipped the edge of my snowboard which resulted in an eight-foot drop with me landing on my shoulder.
"As I hit the snow I heard a big pop, but when I got up I felt okay and so boarded back down to the end of the slope. It was only when I reached the bottom that I realised I couldn't move my arm so I saw the medic at the venue who confirmed I had a broken collar bone. I took myself to the Leeds General Infirmary and, as I'd broken my jaw bone a few years before, I was expecting a long wait in the x-ray department.
"Fortunately for me, the hospital was now using PACS which meant what I expected to take hours took only a few minutes. I had my x-ray taken and was sent up to see the consultant, and before I had even taken my coat off I was called in for my consultation.
"The turnaround was so quick! It only took about five minutes and then there I was looking at my broken collar bone on screen in front of me. The consultant was able to talk me through the fracture and suggested treatments. He gave me the option of either having it pinned into place or letting it heal naturally so I opted for the latter, which meant I would have to go back for several monthly check-ups."
Instant access to previous images
Because PACS gives instant access to old x-rays and scans, it makes it a great deal easier for consultants to track the progress of long-term conditions and healing bones like Olivier's.
"All was going well, but then the healing seemed to come to a halt. Initially, the clinician expected the gap between the two pieces of bone to settle, but after several months it became clear it wasn't going to. So, the clinician sent me back for an additional x-ray to be taken at a different angle - this is when we saw that the clavicle was in fact healing, and was generating a fist of bone to join the two pieces together. For me, it was really awesome because now I could see a dramatic improvement as the consultant pointed out the newly fused bones on screen in front of me.
"I remember as a kid, being in x-ray departments and the whole process taking hours. And then the consultant would put my x-ray film up on a light box only to be told that the image was not good enough and having to do it all over again. Looking back it seemed quite 'slap-dash' compared to my experience of PACS.”
Peace of mind
By allowing healthcare professionals access to digital images at the touch of a button, patients can benefit from much speedier diagnoses and more informed consultations. In Olivier's case, he was able to gain a better understanding of what was going on and felt more involved in his treatment.
"Being able to see everything in detail as the consultant talked me through my x-rays made me feel much more aware of what was happening to me and my bones. I felt reassured and appreciated the time the consultant was able to spend with me looking through my images. This gave me peace of mind because I was able to see an improvement each time I visited.
"On the whole, I think the level of detail and use of 3-D imaging that you get with PACS is amazing. Compared to the use of traditional films and light boxes, the new technology seems much slicker and so much more versatile. And as a patient, seeing it all come together was really cool."
