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Interpreting trauma radiographs.
Maryann Hardy1, Christine Barrett
1Division of Radiography, School of Health Studies, University of Bradford, UK. m.l.hardy1@bradford.ac.uk
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|September 6, 2003
Summary
The accuracy of interpreting trauma radiographs varies significantly among accident and emergency doctors and nurses. No established standard exists to measure competence in radiographic interpretation for these clinicians.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Emergency Medicine
- Nursing Practice
Background:
- Radiographic images are crucial for confirming or refuting provisional diagnoses in accident and emergency (A&E) settings.
- Traditionally, medical clinicians interpreted trauma radiographs, but expanded nursing roles now include requesting and interpreting them.
- The value of radiography relies on accurate interpretation of trauma or pathology by the clinician.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy of trauma radiograph interpretation by A&E doctors and nurses.
- To determine if a consistent standard of interpretive accuracy exists for competence measurement.
Main Methods:
- A literature review was performed using major databases (Cochrane Library, Medline, CINAHL).
- Keywords included radiographic interpretation, radiographic reporting, accident and emergency, and emergency/nurse practitioner.
Main Results:
- The accuracy of trauma radiograph interpretation varies considerably between doctors and nurses.
- No published studies have defined a benchmark for satisfactory competence in radiographic image interpretation.
Conclusions:
- Establishing a reliable measure of interpretive accuracy for trauma radiographs is challenging.
- Nurses may compare their skills to medical colleagues, but this is unreliable due to variability in senior house officer interpretation.
- Achieving similar accuracy to senior house officers does not guarantee satisfactory competence.