CAMRT Radiography Practice Exam

DICOM is primarily used for what purpose?

1. Patient scheduling

2. Document storage

3. Exchanging medical imaging

4. Patient billing

The correct answer is: Exchanging medical imaging

DICOM, which stands for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, is a standard that facilitates the exchange of medical images and related information between medical imaging devices and systems. Its primary purpose is to ensure that images produced by different imaging modalities (like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, etc.) can be shared and interpreted regardless of the manufacturer of the equipment. The standardization provided by DICOM enables various systems, such as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), to communicate seamlessly, allowing healthcare providers to store, retrieve, and share images efficiently. By supporting a wide range of file formats and compression techniques, DICOM aids in maintaining image quality and ensuring compatibility across diverse systems, which is critical in a medical setting where accurate imaging and reports can significantly impact patient care and treatment decisions. While the other options like patient scheduling, document storage, and patient billing are important functions within healthcare, they do not fall under the essential use of DICOM, which is specifically aimed at facilitating medical imaging exchange.