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Do radiologists use the American College of Radiology Musculoskeletal Appropriateness Criteria?
S Tigges1, D Sutherland, B J Manaster
1Department of Radiology, The Emory Clinic, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of radiologists in three different radiology organizations who report using the American College of Radiology (ACR) musculoskeletal appropriateness criteria.
Materials And Methods:
Radiologists from the Society of Skeletal Radiology, Georgia Radiological Society, and Utah Radiological Society were surveyed regarding their use of the ACR musculoskeletal appropriateness criteria. The surveys were carried out during 1998 and data were collected using written survey forms, telephone, and fax.
Results:
The overall survey response rate was 298 (64%) of 465. Overall, 30% of respondents reported using the musculoskeletal appropriateness criteria. The proportion of respondents who used the musculoskeletal criteria was not different across the three organizations or for private practice compared with academic radiologists.
Conclusion:
The proportion of radiologists who report using the ACR musculoskeletal radiology appropriateness criteria is low. This result is consistent with other reports in the literature that show little impact on the practice of physicians after the distribution of written practice guidelines.