American Society of Radiologic Technologist (ASRT) Practice Exam

Where is patient demographics and examination information stored with a digital radiography image?

1. Metadata

2. Radiology information system (RIS)

3. Study ID

4. Modality worklist

The correct answer is: Metadata

The correct answer is that patient demographics and examination information are stored in metadata associated with a digital radiography image. Metadata refers to the data that provides information about other data. In the context of digital radiography, metadata accompanies the image and contains essential details such as the patient's name, date of birth, examination date, type of examination, and other relevant demographics. This allows for easy identification and retrieval of patient data and ensures that the image is correctly associated with the patient's medical record. While the radiology information system (RIS) serves as a comprehensive database that manages patient information, scheduling, and tracking imaging studies, it typically does not store the demographics directly within the image file itself. Instead, the RIS may pull data from various sources or databases, which can be linked to metadata. A study ID is a unique identifier assigned to a specific imaging study but is one part of the metadata rather than a distinct storage location for all demographic information. The modality worklist provides imaging modalities (like X-ray or MRI) with a list of scheduled procedures and patient information. While it helps in scheduling and organizing patient examinations, the worklist does not store the demographic information in association with the digital image itself.