Modeling for the management of peak loads on a radiology image management network

The design of a radiology image management network for a radiology department can now be assisted by a queueing model. The queueing model requires that the designers specify the following parameters: the number of tasks to be accomplished (acquisition of image data, transmission of data, archiving of data, displaying and manipulation of data, and generation of hard copies); the average times to complete each task; the patient scheduled arrival times; and the number/type of computer nodes interfaced to the network (acquisition nodes, interactive diagnostic display stations, archiving nodes, hard copy nodes, and gateways to hospital systems). The outcomes from the queuering model include mean throughput data rates and identified bottlenecks, and peak throughput data rates and identified bottlenecks. This exhibit presents the queueing model and illustrates its use in managing peak loads on an image management network