Multiple monitors lose favor in shift to soft copy

An Ohio University study suggests that over time radiologists reading soft copy will rely on just one or two monitors and will adopt new reading techniques.

Researchers evaluated monitor preferences in a variety of situations three years after the radiologists began soft-copy reading.

When study participants were asked what they expected in the shift to soft copy, 46% of the respondents anticipated that they would need four or more monitors. After using soft copy for three years, just 12% say they need more than two monitors.

The biggest change has been in reading CT images. The majority (57%) now read CT images on one monitor in stack mode, which allows them to page through a series of slices. Another 17% view four images on one monitor, and 8% view multiple images on one or two monitors. The rest use some combination of techniques.

Viewing styles didn't change notably for radiography or for ultrasound, the study found.