LONDON – Picture archiving and communications systems have moved mainstream in North America and Europe.

The imaging systems – once thought to be too pricey and cumbersome for clinicians – are now considered a core technology by healthcare professionals, contends a recent report by the London-based technology research firm Datamonitor.

However, PACS are still expensive for smaller facilities, and restraining the systems’ costs will be crucial to drive widespread adoption, the report suggests.

The size of the PACS market for North America should reach $8.6 billion by 2011, up 75.5 percent from an estimated market of $4.9 billion this year.

Providers now see the systems as a key enabler for efficient and safe operation, said Justin Davidson, associate analyst at Datamonitor, who wrote the report.

“Common industry estimates suggest that 5 percent to 20 percent of traditional medical film images are lost in transit,” Davidson said. “It means patients having to have X-rays retaken and compromised diagnoses because of missing medical histories.”

PACS virtually eliminate the chances of lost images or medical records, Davidson noted.

The Datamonitor report, entitled “Digital Imaging: Reducing Medical Error and Improving Diagnostics,” said PACS are being widely adopted in North America, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

The report also suggested that PACS use is no longer just limited to radiology departments.

“Technological developments in digital imaging means PACS has evolved such that it can now be integrated into cardiology, pathology and dermatology, driving demand for more deployments within a single institution,” Davidson said.

PACS is also moving beyond healthcare organizations to other industry sectors, including academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies, the report suggests.

PACS are increasing efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis, giving it a definite advantage over traditional film studies, the report contends.

Keeping the cost of PACS at affordable levels will play an important role in penetrating smaller institutions and immature markets, Davidson said.

“The cost of PACS is of concern to smaller community hospitals,” he said. “They often have difficulty in raising the capital for investment in technology. Smaller hospitals also lack the economies of scale that enable larger hospitals to benefit from IT investments more quickly.”