Reviewer: Edward J Escott, M.D.(University of Colorado Health Sciences Center)
Description: This book is one in a series of subspecialty books about the Internet for physicians. It is a comprehensive primer covering all current aspects of computer related technologies that those in imaging will encounter today.
Purpose: The stated goal of this book is that it will "familiarize the reader with the technology behind the Internet and provide a basic understanding of what radiologists need to know to gain the most out of its potential offerings." As use of the Internet, PACS, the Web, and computers in general is integral to the radiologist today, a book introducing these technologies and their associated terminologies is a necessity, and a welcome addition to the radiology literature.
Audience: This book is written for anyone, regardless of their level of medical training, as it is a book about the Internet, networking, and related technology. It is meant for those working in radiology, and addresses issues specific to this field, such as PACS and Web teaching files, but the topics covered would be useful to anyone in any specialty wishing to gain an understanding of these subjects.
Features: This book serves as a very adequate primer and basic reference for all aspects of computer technology related to radiology. The book is divided into five parts, covering everything from the basics of the Internet, including information about firewalls, protocols, and networks, to the specifications to look for in a computer and the basic applications such as e-mail and Web browsers. Radiology specific topics, such as PACS, teleradiology, voice recognition, and Web teaching files are also discussed. Some of the topics covered, such as networks and Web design, have entire textbooks devoted to them, and their inclusion in this book serves mainly as an introduction. Likewise, the book provides an introduction to PACS, and explains the basic principles, components and terms, but would not give one all the knowledge needed to "implement a PACS" as stated on the back cover. A particularly valuable aspect of the book, and its largest section, is the extensive list of links (URLs) provided for various web resources such as education and universities, publications, and vendors. A nice component is the inclusion of a CD-ROM which contains all of these links, to allow easy navigation from the reader's computer. Because of the nature of the Web, some of the links are out of date, which is unavoidable. A nice touch would have been to include a Web site that would contain a constantly updated version of these links. Also included are an appendix with the ACR standards for Digital Image Data Management & Teleradiology and a glossary.
Assessment: This is a nice resource for those in the imaging field who would like to gain additional understanding of the basics of the computer related technologies used in radiology today. It is more of a primer than a comprehensive text on many of these topics, but it serves as a very adequate introduction.
From the reviews:
"Part one of the book (31 pages) begins by outlining the history of the World Wide Web, the hardware and software involved and how it is all combined to form active networks. … Part two (15 pages) is concerned with ‘tools of utility’ … . Part three (10 pages) covers the technologies revolutionising radiology. … Part four provides 69 pages of radiology website addresses. … It should prove useful for registrars embarking on the radiology route, as it would for undergraduate radiography students." (D Peach, RAD Magazine, October, 2003)
"This book is part of a series covering the use of Internet in various medical specialities. … The range of topics covered is wide. The text is generally well written and easy to read. The list of websites is very valuable. … This book can be recommended as an easily read overview of Internet-related computer use in radiology, with short descriptions of relevant terms, techniques and applications." (Andreas Abildgaard, Acta Radiologica, Vol. 44 (5), 2003)
Reviewer: Edward J Escott, M.D.(University of Colorado Health Sciences Center)
Description: This book is one in a series of subspecialty books about the Internet for physicians. It is a comprehensive primer covering all current aspects of computer related technologies that those in imaging will encounter today.
Purpose: The stated goal of this book is that it will "familiarize the reader with the technology behind the Internet and provide a basic understanding of what radiologists need to know to gain the most out of its potential offerings." As use of the Internet, PACS, the Web, and computers in general is integral to the radiologist today, a book introducing these technologies and their associated terminologies is a necessity, and a welcome addition to the radiology literature.
Audience: This book is written for anyone, regardless of their level of medical training, as it is a book about the Internet, networking, and related technology. It is meant for those working in radiology, and addresses issues specific to this field, such as PACS and Web teaching files, but the topics covered would be useful to anyone in any specialty wishing to gain an understanding of these subjects.
Features: This book serves as a very adequate primer and basic reference for all aspects of computer technology related to radiology. The book is divided into five parts, covering everything from the basics of the Internet, including information about firewalls, protocols, and networks, to the specifications to look for in a computer and the basic applications such as e-mail and Web browsers. Radiology specific topics, such as PACS, teleradiology, voice recognition, and Web teaching files are also discussed. Some of the topics covered, such as networks and Web design, have entire textbooks devoted to them, and their inclusion in this book serves mainly as an introduction. Likewise, the book provides an introduction to PACS, and explains the basic principles, components and terms, but would not give one all the knowledge needed to "implement a PACS" as stated on the back cover. A particularly valuable aspect of the book, and its largest section, is the extensive list of links (URLs) provided for various web resources such as education and universities, publications, and vendors. A nice component is the inclusion of a CD-ROM which contains all of these links, to allow easy navigation from the reader's computer. Because of the nature of the Web, some of the links are out of date, which is unavoidable. A nice touch would have been to include a Web site that would contain a constantly updated version of these links. Also included are an appendix with the ACR standards for Digital Image Data Management & Teleradiology and a glossary.
Assessment: This is a nice resource for those in the imaging field who would like to gain additional understanding of the basics of the computer related technologies used in radiology today. It is more of a primer than a comprehensive text on many of these topics, but it serves as a very adequate introduction.
