A prototype electronic alternator (EA) has been implemented utilizing an advanced image processing workstation and evaluated for its clinical acceptability as a primary diagnostic workstation. The workstation is based on a PIXAR II image computer and is a node on the University of Washington Digital Imaging Network and Picture Archiving and Communications System (DIN/PACS, hereafter PACS). The goals of this study are to utilize the unique features ofthe workstation (large image memory, a

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... eed parallel transfer disk (PTD), and a 2560 x 2048 high-resolution image monitor) to demonstrate the feasibility of a limited model of the EA as a primary diagnostic workstation in the PACS environment, to evaluate its capability in image viewing and diagnosis, and to assess the feasibility of an icon-based user interface to select and rearrange images on the monitor. In this paper, various characteristics of the prototype EA such as image display and processing performance, image storage capacity, and functional specification as well as the results of a clinical evaluation are presented. The main emphasis of the clinical evaluation was on system speed, image quality, and user preference for an icon-based user interface. Among a variety of workstation design issues 4,5,6, the most important factors are system response time (speed), image quality, and user interface. The speed with which the workstation executes certain functions, such as image retrieval and display and image database management, plays a large role in its clinical acceptability because of its effect on efficiency and productivity. The advantages of a good user interface go beyond efficiency. In many hospital environments, personnel are constantly changing. As a result, there is a continual need for training of new users. A well-designed user interface allows easy learning of the system, reducing training time and errors. Finally, image quality has direct effect on diagnostic accuracy and so is crucial for both radiologists and referring physicians.