Assessing the implementation of COVID-19 structured reporting templates for chest radiography: a scoping review

One of the common modalities used in imaging COVID-19 positive patients is chest radiography (CXR), and serves as a valuable imaging method to diagnose and monitor a patients' condition. Structured reporting templates are regularly used for the assessment of COVID-19 CXRs and are supported by international radiological societies. This review has investigated the use of structured templates for reporting COVID-19 CXRs.

A scoping review was conducted on literature published between 2020 and 2022 using Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and manual searches. An essential criterion for the inclusion of the articles was the use of reporting methods employing either a structured quantitative or qualitative reporting method. Thematic analyses of both reporting designs were then undertaken to evaluate utility and implementation.

Fifty articles were found with the quantitative reporting method used in 47 articles whilst 3 articles were found employing a qualitative design. Two quantitative reporting tools (Brixia and RALE) were used in 33 studies, with other studies using variations of these methods. Brixia and RALE both use a posteroanterior or supine CXR divided into sections, Brixia with six and RALE with four sections. Each section is scaled numerically depending on the level of infection. The qualitative templates relied on selecting the best descriptor of the presence of COVID-19 radiological appearances. Grey literature from 10 international professional radiology societies were also included in this review. The majority of the radiology societies recommend a qualitative template for reporting COVID-19 CXRs.

Most studies employed quantitative reporting methods which contrasted with the structured qualitative reporting template advocated by most radiological societies. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. There is also a lack of research literature on both the implementation of the templates or comparing both template types, indicating that the use of structured radiology reporting types may be an underdeveloped clinical strategy and research methodology.

This scoping review is unique in that it has undertaken an examination of the utility of the quantitative and qualitative structured reporting templates for COVID-19 CXRs. Moreover, through this review, the material examined has allowed a comparison of both instruments, clearly showing the favoured style of structured reporting by clinicians. At the time of the database interrogation, there were no studies found had undertaken such examinations of both reporting instruments. Moreover, due to the enduring influence of COVID-19 on global health, this scoping review is timely in examining the most innovative structured reporting tools that could be used in the reporting of COVID-19 CXRs. This report could assist clinicians in decision-making regarding templated COVID-19 reports.