Final answer:
DICOM is the standard used for image transfer compatibility in hospitals, ensuring seamless communication between imaging modalities, viewing stations, and printers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The standard used to achieve compatibility for image transfer between various imaging modalities, viewing stations, and printers in a hospital is DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine). DICOM is a standard communication protocol that allows different medical devices and information systems to exchange medical images and other patient-related information seamlessly. It ensures that images can be accurately and reliably transferred, viewed and printed across different platforms and devices.
For example let's say a radiologist performs a CT scan of a patient's head. The CT scanner generates images in DICOM format which can then be easily transferred to a viewing station or printer in the hospital for analysis and diagnosis. DICOM ensures that these images can be accessed and interpreted correctly by different systems regardless of the manufacturer or vendor.