Quality assurance for abdominal CT: a rapid, computer-assisted technique

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Quality Assurance

Background:

• Maintaining high standards in large CT imaging departments presents challenges.
• A computer-assisted quality assurance (QA) system was developed for abdominal CT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a simple, rapid computer-assisted QA system for abdominal CT.
• To analyze the results of the implemented QA system.

Main Methods:

• 1810 abdominal CT studies were graded over 50 weeks using a three-point scale for technical quality parameters.
• A parameter for film library and clerical staff performance was also graded.
• A spreadsheet and database software program facilitated data entry and analysis, with results analyzed using linear regression models.

Main Results:

• The QA system improved technical parameters, with a statistically significant increase in the average technical score (1.15 to 1.68; p < .0001).
• Clerical staff performance also significantly improved (1.3 to 1.8; p < .02).
• Improvements were significant even when controlling for scanner and radiologist variations; 5% of scan comparisons revealed interpretation disagreements.

Conclusions:

• Continuous monitoring via a rapid, computer-assisted QA system led to measurable improvements in CT services.
• Technologist and clerical staff performance improved across all parameters, revealing deficiencies and trends.
• The QA system facilitated identification of interpretation disagreements for radiologist peer review; the software is available as freeware.