[Utility of thoracic teleradiography in hospitalized patients]

To assess the utility of the chest roentgenogram (CR) in hospitalized patients in terms of its diagnostic and therapeutic influence on the clinician.

A survey in a group of residents of internal medicine at a tertiary care teaching hospital was carried out. Two questionnaires were applied: one when a follow-up CR was ordered (inquiring about reasons for ordering the film, the likelihood that the CR would show changes and physician's therapeutic plan); the second questionnaire was applied after the CR was obtained (inquiring about how unexpected the CR finding was and its degree of influence on therapy). Both questionnaires were analyzed in regard to the CR interpretation by a radiologist.

One hundred surveys were analyzed. CR ruled out the suspicion of a new pulmonary event (55% of cases) or of the worsening of a known lung disease (50%) as predicted by the physician. In turn, CR confirmed the absence of a new pulmonary event (92%), or the improvement/stabilization of the course of a known lung disease (92%), as predicted by the physician. Sixty-one percent of these CR had a definite influence on patients' treatment.

CR in hospitalized patients is of practical benefit to physicians, mainly in avoiding overdiagnosis and unnecesary treatment to their patients.