A neuroradiology e-mail service for a district general hospital in the COVID-19 era

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Radiology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• District general hospitals (DGHs) are primary sites for neurological patient care.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift from in-person neuroradiology meetings to an email-based service.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the quality of neuroimaging reporting between traditional face-to-face meetings and an email service.
• To assess the impact of a pandemic-induced change in communication on diagnostic accuracy.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective comparison of neuroradiological discrepancies was conducted.
• Data from 734 consecutively selected neurological patients were analyzed.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found in the frequency of clinically unimportant discrepancies (10.3% email vs. 12.8% f2f, p=0.300).
• The frequency of clinically important discrepancies also showed no significant difference (16.0% email vs. 15.6% f2f, p=0.889).
• Clinically important discrepancies were estimated at 4.2% (95% CI: 3.5%-5.0%) with minimal annual variation.

Conclusions:

• District general hospital radiology provides high-quality neuroimaging reports.
• Neurologists play a crucial role in identifying patients needing neuroradiology second opinions.
• An email service proved effective for neuroimaging quality assurance in a DGH setting during the pandemic.