Radiology Report Comparator: a novel method to augment resident education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Radiology Informatics

Background:

• Attending radiologists routinely edit trainee reports.
• Communication of edits can be challenging due to time and workflow constraints.
• Lost edits represent missed teaching opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an electronic method for retrieving and displaying edits made to radiology trainee reports.
• To facilitate effective communication of attending radiologist feedback to trainees.
• To enhance radiology resident education and improve report quality.

Main Methods:

• A Radiology Information System was queried to extract preliminary and final reports.
• Report data were stored in a database indexed by trainee and accession number.
• A web application was developed to display report changes in side-by-side and track-changes formats.

Main Results:

• Web utilization audits confirmed regular trainee engagement with the system.
• Trainees reported using the tool for educational value, future report improvement, and enhanced patient care.
• Residents compared reports more frequently after software deployment, leading to improved report quality and understanding.

Conclusions:

• The electronic reporting system effectively retains and delivers crucial educational feedback.
• This solution addresses challenges posed by increasing workloads and decentralized resources.
• The tool provides an efficient and consumable method for trainees to assess and improve their work.