Addressing requests for emergency ultrasonographic examinations when implementing teleradiology services

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• On-call teleradiology services are expanding to provide 24/7 diagnostic support.
• Effective management of after-hours imaging requests is crucial for service efficiency and patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate strategies for handling after-hours ultrasonographic examination requests within an on-call teleradiology framework.
• To determine the feasibility and necessity of after-hours ultrasound services.

Main Methods:

• A prospective analytical study analyzed 176 after-hours ultrasound requests over one year.
• Requests were categorized as postponable, replaceable by alternative imaging, or urgent.

Main Results:

• The majority of requests (63%) were for abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds.
• A significant portion of requests were postponable (22.2%) or replaceable (27.8%).
• Urgent requests (13.6%) included venous duplex, testicular, and pelvic ultrasounds, requiring immediate action.

Conclusions:

• After-hours ultrasonographic examinations present unique challenges for teleradiology services.
• While urgent cases exist, they should not prevent the establishment of on-call teleradiology services, with solutions like physician training or inter-institutional transfer being viable.