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Short communication: plain film reporting by radiographers--a feasibility study
1Clinical Radiology Department, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK.
The British Journal of Radiology
|December 1, 1996
Summary
Specially trained radiographers can report accident and emergency (A/E) plain film examinations with accuracy comparable to radiologists. Introducing radiographers into A/E reporting may not compromise report quality.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
- Radiography
Background:
- Accident and Emergency (A/E) departments handle a high volume of plain film examinations.
- Radiologists traditionally report these examinations, but workload pressures exist.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of specially trained radiographers reporting A/E plain film examinations.
- To compare the reporting performance of radiographers with that of radiologists.
Main Methods:
- Two trained radiographers reported 561 A/E plain film examinations in parallel with radiologists.
- Reports were compared for concordance and discrepancies, analyzing error rates (false positives and false negatives).
Main Results:
- Radiographer and radiologist reports showed high concordance (88.2%).
- The incidence of reporting errors was not significantly different between radiographers and radiologists.
- Only 11.8% of reports were discordant.
Conclusions:
- Specially trained radiographers can accurately report A/E plain film examinations.
- Introducing radiographers into A/E reporting rotas may be feasible without negatively impacting report quality.