Clinical impact of extending after-hours radiology coverage for emergency department computed tomography imaging

• Published in: Open access emergency medicine 2014-01, Vol.6 (default), p.33-35
• Main Authors: Dabbo, Samer, Varner, Catherine, Bleakney, Robert, Ovens, Howard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; CAT scans; Emergency medical care; Hospital emergency services; Medical errors; Medical imaging; Patients; Physicians; Quality control; Radiology; Short Report; Studies
• ISSN: 1179-1500; 1179-1500
• DOI: 10.2147/OAEM.S59750

Academic emergency departments (EDs) are often reliant on preliminary interpretation by radiology residents for after-hours computed tomography (CT) images. Identifying residents' errors in diagnostic interpretation and ensuring appropriate contact with affected patients are areas of continuing concern. The Mount Sinai Hospital ED and Medical Imaging Department in Toronto, Canada sought to examine the clinical impact of extending reporting hours of senior attending radiologists for ED patients undergoing CT imaging. All evening CT studies were read by the on-call sub-specialist staff radiologist before 10 pm; while studies done after 10 pm were read by 8 am, permitting review of final reports by the ordering ED physician. A retrospective review of radiology and ED metrics was performed on ED patients undergoing CT imaging 12 weeks before and 12 weeks after implementation of the extended reading hours. In the 12 weeks prior to implementation of extended senior attending radiologist coverage, 871 CT scans were performed as compared to 944 CT scans after implementation. Time from performance of CT scan to obtaining a dictated report decreased from 10.4 hours to 2.8 hours (P