[Acceptability and quality of abdominal ultrasound studies requested by medical professionals]

To evaluate the acceptability/quality of abdominal ultrasound studies requested by primary care physicians in Barcelona; to develop ultrasound guidelines and assess their impact on acceptability.

2-phase study, one retrospective, descriptive phase evaluating the acceptability/quality of requests (pre-intervention phase) and another to assess the impact of guidelines on acceptability/quality (post-intervention phase).

Requests for ultrasound studies from January-June 2010 from 10 primary care centers and the same number of requests from the same centers after the intervention.

Pre-intervention phase: reason for consultation and request; presence of diagnostic orientation; results of ultrasound; acceptability/quality of the request.

design guidelines using the nominal group technique, dissemination of guidelines in the same centers. Post-intervention phase: three months after dissemination analyze the same number of requests assessing the same variables included in the pre-intervention phase.

Pre-intervention phase: 1,063 requests, 52.4% women, mean age 52±16years (range 11-94). Post-intervention phase: 1,060 requests, 57.6% women, mean age 54±17years (range 6-91). Main reasons for requests: abdominal pain/discomfort 38.3% (pre-intervention) and 43.1% (post-intervention). Diagnostic orientation in 14.5% (pre-intervention) and 40.8% (post-intervention). Normal ultrasound results in 46.0% (pre-intervention) and 42.3% (post-intervention). Good quality of requests in 42.7% (pre-intervention) and 46.5% (post-intervention). Acceptability of ultrasound: 70.5% (pre-intervention) and 94.1% (post-intervention). The better the quality of the request, the better the acceptability of the studies and the greater the number of pathological conditions identified.

Guidelines for ultrasound improve the quality of requests, diagnostic orientation and acceptability of the studies.