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Methods Inf Med 2003; 42(04): 302-306
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1634222
Original article
Schattauer GmbH

Medical Image Quality as a Socio-technical Phenomenon

M. Aanestad
1   Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
2   The Interventional Centre, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
,
B. Edwin
2   The Interventional Centre, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
,
R. Mårvik
3   National Centre for Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, St. Olav Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
08 February 2018 (online)

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Summary

Objectives: The study aims to interpret image quality in laparoscopic surgery not only as a technical parameter but also as the result of the situation of use.

Methods: Observational studies of laparoscopy in use, semi-structured and informal interviews with laparoscopists.

Results: When medical images are digitized to exploit novel technical possibilities, image quality becomes a paramount issue. Image quality is often discussed exclusively in technical terms, but the socio-technical study of image quality in surgical telemedicine presented in this paper showed that it is definitely more than a purely technical parameter.

Conclusions: While the resulting quality of the image was significantly shaped by the persons involved, the concept of “quality” itself was also relative and changing with the situation of use. A given technology does not determine image quality. Rather than focusing only on the technical quality, the attention of designers and decision makers should also be directed to the socio-technical network surrounding the image and its use.

Keywords

Laparoscopy - surgery - telemedicine - image quality - video quality
 

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