All radiographers and licensed operators who had been involved were sent a survey. The response rate was 36% (120 respondents). Overall, 90% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the project outcomes, and many submitted positive comments. These included “The system is very easy to use and a vast improvement on the old one” and “We all love the CR images produced and the quality is outstanding” (Figure 2).

The high satisfaction rate reflects the quality of the project processes and the attention paid to the change management aspects of introducing new technology. This result appears to support the assertion that change can be managed effectively by paying careful attention to communication, planning, process evaluation, and training. Not only that, but users will accept the system and hopefully enjoy using it.⁴

Site visits played an important part in the planning and preparation project, as did the communication of project outcomes to staff. Clarification of the project's scope could have been improved. Many users were under the impression that the equipment would immediately let them transfer images to other QH sites. This was not the case.

Project stakeholders also identified concerns about the cost-effectiveness of the new technology. Cost savings when moving to a digital imaging environment typically occur through the reduced need for film, wet chemicals, and film storage and handling.^1,5,6 Health Service districts will, however, still have to purchase a certain amount of film and CDs for image distribution and storage, due to the delay in connecting to the LAN/WAN for image transfer. They will also be responsible for postwarranty servicing of the CR equipment.

Filmless radiology departments have reported a significant decrease in overall examination turnaround times, though the introduction of digital acquisition systems alone has not produced a significant reduction in average examination time.⁶ The move to CR must be recognized as the first step toward a filmless environment. In conclusion, QH now has digital image acquisition at all of its medical imaging sites. Rural and remote image acquisition sites are well positioned to take advantage of the digital imaging paradigm.

The disparity in health outcomes between the city and the “bush” is a recognized issue in Australia.⁷ Some sites are already able to move images across the network and access radiologist interpretations and/or specialist consultation. Work needed to establish full WAN connectivity for the remaining sites continues. Once this is complete, all of QH's image acquisition facilities will have equitable access to these specialist services that can make a pivotal contribution to clinical decision making and management.⁸