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Radiologic interpretation by family physicians in an office practice setting
G R Bergus1, E A Franken, T J Koch
1Department of Family Practice, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242-1097, USA.
The Journal of Family Practice
|October 1, 1995
Summary
Family physicians demonstrate high accuracy in interpreting radiographs in their offices. Their performance in reading extremity films and normal scans was notably better than chest films and abnormal findings.
Area of Science:
- Medical imaging
- Family medicine
- Diagnostic radiology
Background:
- Radiology is a key component of family physician practice.
- Limited data exists on family physician performance in radiology.
- This study assesses family physician interpretation of radiographs in a practice setting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of family physicians in interpreting radiographs.
- To identify factors influencing interpretation accuracy.
Main Methods:
- A 3-year survey of 1674 radiographic studies from a family practice office.
- Independent interpretation by the ordering family physician and an overreading radiologist.
- Discrepancy analysis for reevaluation of interpretations.
Main Results:
- Family physicians achieved 92.4% accuracy in radiograph interpretation.
- Accuracy was higher for extremity films (96.0%) than chest films (89.3%).
- Normal films (95.2%) were interpreted more accurately than abnormal films (85.9%).
Conclusions:
- Family physicians exhibit substantial accuracy in office-based radiologic interpretation.
- Chest films present greater interpretation challenges compared to extremity films.
- Performance may vary based on the body part examined and disease prevalence.