Automating DICOM Printer 2
This article is intended for IT staff. It includes samples of XML files that might be difficult to understand for the non-initiated. If you would like to learn about automated DICOM storage without the technical jargon, please contact our team.
The Paper Problem in Medical Imaging
One of the consequences of implementing a PACS is that everything has to be sent there. This has produced a world of patchwork solutions that often involve generating paper records for the sole purpose of digitizing them back into electronic form.
I truly can't think of a greater offense to the purpose of electronic health records than to make them complicit in the needless use of paper. Not to mention the tragedy of entire human working lives spent scanning things that have just come out of a printer.
Attaching Documents to PACS Efficiently
DICOM Printer 2 was originally designed to address this problem. The XML-based configuration, regular expression matching, plug-in interfaces and capability to operate according to data-driven logic gives it a natural ability to fit into whatever part of patient workflows are most wasteful of human time.
Sample Configuration
<DicomPrinterConfig>
...
<ActionsList>
<ParseJobTextFile name="ParseContents">
<DcmTag tag="(8,50)">Accession: (.*)$</DcmTag>
<DcmTag tag="(8,60)">Modality: (.*)$</DcmTag>
</ParseJobTextFile>
<Query name="Query" type="Worklist">
<DcmTag tag="(0008,0050)" />
<DcmTag tag="(0008,0060)" />
<DcmTag tag="(0010,0020)" />
<DcmTag tag="(0020,000D)" />
<ConnectionParameters>
<MyAeTitle>DICOMPRINTER2</MyAeTitle>
<PeerAeTitle>DVT</PeerAeTitle>
<Host>localhost</Host>
<Port>104</Port>
</ConnectionParameters>
</Query>
<Store name="Store">
<Compression type="RLE" />
<ConnectionParameters>
<PeerAeTitle>CONQUESTSRV1</PeerAeTitle>
<Host>192.168.0.41</Host>
<Port>5678</Port>
</ConnectionParameters>
</Store>
</ActionsList>
<Workflow>
<Perform action="ParseContents" onError="Hold" />
<Perform action="Query" onError="Suspend" />
<If field="QUERY_FOUND" value="1">
<Statements>
<Perform action="Store" />
</Statements>
<Else>
<Suspend resumeAction="Query" />
</Else>
</If>
</Workflow>
</DicomPrinterConfig>
Understanding the Configuration
The configuration above might seem complex, but it's composed of just a few key components:
1. Parse Document Content
<ParseJobTextFile name="ParseContents">
<DcmTag tag="(8,50)">Accession: (.*)$</DcmTag>
<DcmTag tag="(8,60)">Modality: (.*)$</DcmTag>
</ParseJobTextFile>
// @filename: config.xml
<ParseJobTextFile name="ParseContents">
// @highlight: 3-4
<DcmTag tag="(8,50)">Accession: (.*)$</DcmTag>
<DcmTag tag="(8,60)">Modality: (.*)$</DcmTag>
</ParseJobTextFile>
This action reads the printed document's text content, looking for accession numbers and modality values using regular expressions. The matched values are stored in DICOM tags for later use.
2. Query PACS/Worklist
The Query action searches PACS or modality worklist for patient studies matching the extracted values, allowing automatic association.
3. Store Document in PACS
Once the matching study is found, the document is automatically converted to DICOM and stored in the PACS system.
Benefits of Automation
- Eliminate Paper Waste: No more printing documents just to scan them
- Save Staff Time: Remove manual handling and data entry
- Reduce Errors: Automatic matching prevents incorrect associations
- Faster Processing: Documents arrive in PACS immediately, improving clinical workflows
Need help with your specific workflow? Our DICOM specialists can help customize DICOM Printer 2 for your unique requirements. Contact us for personalized assistance.