From CIS, HIS, EMR, and EHR, to RIS, DICOM, PACS, and cloud PACS, there are endless terms and abbreviations for the many different types of medical imaging information systems out there. One of the common pitfalls of professional jargon in any field is that terms get a bit mixed up, conflated, or misused every now and then and through day-to-day communication.

DICOM-short for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine-has become indispensable to any modern clinical setting that deals with medical imaging. Considering the ubiquitous need and utility of medical imaging in modern healthcare, the broad scope and application of DICOM is not hard to fathom.