Evaluation of the effectiveness of digital radiography in emergency situations

The time differences between digital and conventional radiography for emergency patients were investigated, and clinician satisfaction with the two modalities was compared. Time-motion data was collected daily over 5 weeks for a digital group and a conventional X-ray group. For standardization purposes, only emergency patients requiring chest X-rays were selected for the study. Data were collected from 30 patients in each of the two groups in the time-motion study, and 31 out of 50 Emergency and Intensive Care clinicians responded to the questionnaire. Results were analysed by percentage, and chi2 analysis was used where appropriate. The time for availability of images to requesting clinicians was 70% less for digital images compared to conventional radiography. The overall satisfaction between digital and conventional radiography was very similar, but most clinicians expressed an opinion that digital radiography offered significant image modification advantages.