Rethinking radiology reports: A survey of referring physicians' perspectives

Radiology reports play a crucial role in clinical decision-making. High report quality and completeness are essential for efficient patient care. However, the clarity and comprehensiveness of radiology reports are often points of contention among referring physicians. This study evaluated referring physicians' views on the quality and clinical utility of radiology reports.

A prospective, anonymous online survey was conducted from June 2023 to March 2025, targeting 258 practicing physicians in Germany, including 93 internists, 90 surgeons and 75 general practitioners. The survey included rating scales, multiple-choice questions and net promoter scores (NPS).

Referring physicians' satisfaction with the completeness of radiology reports was moderate, with an average score of 38.4 ± 24.3 on a scale from -100 to + 100. Among the specialties surveyed, surgeons reported the highest level of dissatisfaction (p < 0.05). Internists and surgeons showed significantly stronger preferences for structured reporting compared to general practitioners (p < 0.05). According to the surveyed referring physicians, the most frequently missing information in reports included "determination of a diagnosis" (39 %) and "recommendations for further diagnostic measures or follow-up examinations" (23 %). A large majority of referring physicians (84.9 %) found multidisciplinary case conferences to be valuable (5-7 out of 7 stars) for enhancing their understanding of reports.

Reporting preferences vary across specialties and radiologists must address the clinical needs of referring physicians, who are the primary audience for radiology reports. Integrating imaging into multidisciplinary meetings can further improve radiology report comprehension of referring physicians.