Resident interpretation of emergency computed tomographic scans.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Emergency Medicine
• Neurological Imaging

Background:

• Emergency departments often rely on resident physicians for interpreting diagnostic imaging after hours.
• Assessing the accuracy of these interpretations is crucial for patient safety and quality of care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of preliminary interpretations of emergency cranial computed tomographic (CT) scans performed by radiology residents.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of cranial CT interpretation by residents with emergency plain film interpretation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 289 preliminary reports of emergency cranial CT scans interpreted by radiology residents over a two-month period.
• Classification of resident interpretations into four categories: acceptable, minor error, moderate error, or major error.
• Analysis of the types and severity of errors, particularly concerning cerebral hemorrhage.

Main Results:

• Overall accuracy for cranial CT interpretation by residents was 98%.
• Six out of 289 interpretations (2%) contained moderate or major errors.
• All identified moderate or major errors involved the misinterpretation of cerebral hemorrhage.
• Resident accuracy in cranial CT interpretation exceeded reported accuracy for emergency plain film interpretation.

Conclusions:

• Radiology residents demonstrate a high level of accuracy (98%) in interpreting emergency cranial CT scans.
• The accuracy of resident interpretations for cranial CT is superior to that of emergency plain film interpretations.
• While errors are infrequent, vigilance is required for detecting cerebral hemorrhage on cranial CT scans.