Linking medical technology and quality of healthcare delivery: an exploratory study of a stage model

This article reports the very preliminary results from a study of the implementation, adoption, and utilisation of picture archiving and communication system (PACS) in a sample of 141 hospitals in the USA. The research question was: 'What are the impacts/contributions of PACS on the quality of care in provider organisations where PACS has been adopted and implemented?'. PACS was chosen because it is considered a mature technology widely adopted by provider organisations worldwide. The methodology applied a stage-model previously used successfully in the evaluation and measurement of the outcomes from R&D and technology in other sectors of the economy. Preliminary findings show that there is a positive correlation between differentiated outcomes from PACS and quality of care. Initial conclusions suggest that to obtain a better relationship between investments in medical technologies and care, we should explore the various outcomes from the technology, in differentiated stages of the process.