Management-changing errors in the recall of radiologic results - a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Communication
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Diagnostic information from radiological studies is crucial for patient management.
• Communication and recall of this information can lead to alterations.
• The impact of these alterations on patient care requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the frequency of diagnostic information alterations in radiological studies.
• To determine if these alterations, due to communication or recall issues, affect patient management.

Main Methods:

• A structured telephone survey of 56 physicians managing 98 inpatients who underwent CT or MRI.
• Physicians recalled radiological interpretations and compared them to official reports.
• Differences and impact on patient management were assessed and correlated with communication routes and report length.

Main Results:

• Nearly 15% of cases had discrepancies between recalled and official radiological results.
• In 14.3% of cases, patient management was potentially or actually affected.
• No significant correlation was found between errors and communication route or report length.

Conclusions:

• A substantial rate of error exists in recalling and transmitting diagnostic radiological information.
• These errors are severe enough to impact patient management.
• Improving the accuracy of diagnostic information transfer is critical for patient safety.