Radiologist Productivity Analytics: Factors Impacting Abdominal Pelvic CT Exam Reporting Times

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging Analysis
• Healthcare Operations

Background:

• Efficient reporting of diagnostic imaging is crucial for timely patient care.
• Abdominal pelvic CT scans are frequently performed, necessitating streamlined reporting processes.
• Variability in reporting times can impact workflow and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key factors influencing radiologist reporting times for abdominal pelvic CT exams.
• To evaluate the impact of structured reporting templates on reporting efficiency.
• To determine if radiologist characteristics and patient class affect reporting duration.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 3602 abdominal pelvic CT reports from January 2019 to March 2020.
• Data collected included reporting location, patient class (inpatient, ED, outpatient), use of structured templates, radiologist fellowship training, word count, and experience.
• Statistical analyses included Wilcoxon Rank-sum, Kruskal-Wallis tests, regression, and Spearman's correlation.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in reporting time between structured and unstructured reports (P=0.870).
• In-house dictations were faster than remote dictations (P<0.001).
• Reports for inpatients/Emergency Department (ED) patients were faster than for outpatients (P<0.001).
• Individual radiologist differences in reporting time were observed (P<0.001) but not explained by fellowship training (P=0.762).
• Weak correlation between report word count and reporting time (ρ=0.355); minimal correlation with radiologist experience (ρ=0.167).

Conclusions:

• Abdominal pelvic CT reporting efficiency is maximized by in-house dictations and prioritizing inpatient/ED cases.
• Structured reporting templates, radiologist fellowship training, and years of experience do not demonstrably impact reporting times.
• Workflow optimization should focus on dictation location and patient acuity for faster report turnaround.