Development of a Picture Archiving and Communications System for a University’s Clinic

Abstract

The medical imaging technology known as Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) is extensively utilized in the healthcare industry to store, archive, and transmit medical images across various software platforms, in compliance with standards such as Health Level seven (HL7). PACS digitizes traditional hardcopy films, thereby enhancing accessibility, efficiency, and long-term storage of patient imaging records. This study addresses the current limitation of the absence of a PACS in university clinics. The primary aim of this project is to design and implement a functional PACS tailored for the university clinic. The specific objectives are to create a PACS that suits the operational needs of the PCU clinic and to implement the designed PACS for active use in the clinic. The development of the PACS was carried out using the Visual Studio Code Integrated Development Environment (IDE), alongside various technologies including Laravel, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, Bootstrap, CSS3, and HTML. Core functionalities like user registration, login, and other server-side operations were developed using Laravel (a PHP framework), enabling dynamic content delivery and multi-user functionality. By digitizing and centralizing medical imaging records, the system provides improved access, security, and accuracy in handling patient data for both students and staff. Although the system was developed with PCU as a case study, it is highly adaptable and can be implemented in other healthcare organizations. The use of PACS, as demonstrated, contributes significantly to improving diagnostic processes and healthcare service efficiency through streamlined access to patient imaging data.