Structured report compliance: effect on audio dictation time, report length, and total radiologist study time

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Health Informatics
• Medical Documentation

Background:

• Structured reporting templates are increasingly adopted in medical imaging.
• Their impact on radiologist workflow efficiency and report characteristics requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of structured template use on audio dictation time (ADT), radiology report length, and total radiologist study time (TRT) among emergency radiologists.
• To evaluate compliance and modification rates of templates after long-term implementation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 3449 consecutive emergency radiology reports over a 2-month period.
• Data collected included ADT, total words, dictated words, and TRT for seven common imaging examinations.
• Comparison of metrics between reports using structured templates and those not, with analysis of template modification.

Main Results:

• Structured templates were used in 81.2% of cases, with high compliance and minimal alteration (2.8%).
• Template usage significantly decreased ADT by 47% (p < 0.001) but did not affect total word length or TRT.
• Individual radiologist variations were observed, with 20% showing differences in report length when using templates.

Conclusions:

• Long-term use of structured templates in emergency radiology demonstrates high compliance.
• Templates effectively reduce audio dictation time without significantly altering report length or total study time for most radiologists.
• Individual workflow differences may influence template impact on report length and total study time.