Radiologic examination requisition procedures: a study of their effectiveness in a community hospital

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Documentation
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Accurate clinical information is crucial for appropriate radiologic examinations.
• Current practices show significant non-physician involvement in completing radiologic requisitions.
• Inconsistent or missing clinical data can compromise diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of clinical information provided on radiologic requisitions.
• To determine the impact of non-physician personnel completing requisitions.
• To advocate for physician-originated requisitions to improve data quality.

Main Methods:

• Review of 100 consecutive radiologic examinations.
• Analysis of the source and accuracy of clinical information on requisitions.
• Comparison of data quality based on who completed the requisition.

Main Results:

• Physicians originated clinical information in only 33% of cases.
• Non-physician personnel (nurses, aides) completed requisitions 57% of the time.
• 46% of non-physician completed requisitions contained inappropriate or misleading information; 9% lacked any information.

Conclusions:

• Requiring physicians to originate radiologic requisitions is essential.
• Physician-originated requisitions ensure appropriate and accurate clinical information.
• Improving requisition data quality enhances diagnostic performance and patient care.