Professional Analysis of Radiology Department Information Systems Implementation at Teaching Hospitals in Kaduna State

Radiology information systems and picture archiving and communication systems are the technological backbone of modern radiology department management, enabling digital image storage, report generation, workflow tracking, and electronic result communication to clinicians. In Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, the implementation status and operational effectiveness of radiology IS infrastructure at teaching hospitals requires professional analysis to identify investment and operational priorities. This study professionally analyses the implementation and effectiveness of radiology information systems at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital and Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna State. A professional IT systems evaluation design is applied, combining structured assessment of RIS and PACS implementation completeness, system uptime reliability, user interface design, integration with hospital information systems, and report turnaround time support against system utilisation data from 2022 to 2023. Interviews with 35 radiology staff including radiographers, radiologists, and IT officers provide implementation quality insights. A workflow comparison between digital and residual paper-based processes identifies transition completion status. Descriptive statistics and gap analysis are performed in SPSS. Available health information systems literature from North West Nigerian teaching hospitals identifies power outage-related system downtime and insufficient IT maintenance contracts as the primary operational challenges following RIS-PACS implementation. The HL7 FHIR integration standards and RSNA DICOM interoperability guidelines provide the professional technical reference. Findings are expected to reveal partial implementation with significant downtime and integration limitations. Recommendations address uninterruptible power supply procurement, IT maintenance service level agreements, and phased RIS-PACS integration planning for Kaduna State teaching hospitals. Keywords: radiology information systems, PACS, teaching hospitals, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria.