‘Little downside’: Structured templates do not increase radiology reporting times
The use of structured templates for abdominal pelvic CT exams has no impact on radiology reporting times, according to new research published this week. Experts say more providers should consider utilizing templates in daily practice.
Medical imaging volumes have skyrocketed over the past two decades, leading to higher workloads, burnout rates, and a need for more efficient practice methods. Top imaging groups, including ACR and RSNA, support structured approaches but many departments have been hesitant to make the move due to fears of additional demands on clinicians.
This was not the case at one Canadian institution, researchers noted Jan. 10 in the Journal of Digital Imaging. The team found that templates had no impact on reporting times among 33 radiologists interpreting pelvic CT scans.
“Structured reporting should thus be strongly considered when reporting abdominal pelvic CT exams given this reporting style is clearly preferred by radiologists and referring clinicians,” first author Amar Udare, MD, with the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Center in Canada, and co-authors wrote.
To reach their conclusions, the team retrospectively gathered reports generated by 33 academic rads, including generalists and subspecialists, between January 2019 and March 2020. Overall, 3,602 reports were analyzed, including 1,150 outpatient, and 2,452 inpatient and emergency cases.
Looking over their data, high priority abdominal CT scans for inpatients and emergency department cases were completed quicker than outpatient reports (21 mins. vs. 28 mins.).
Reports dictated in-house were also finished faster than those completed remotely (21 mins. vs. 28 mins.). The latter may be due to connectivity problems, rads reporting fewer urgent cases at home and interruptions while working remotely, the authors noted.
Meanwhile, factors such as structured vs. unstructured reporting, fellowship training and experience level did not significantly alter reporting times, the authors explained.
The researchers did not assess the quality of reports in their study but again pointed to past analyses showing structured templates have “little downside” and many advantages, including uniform terminology, fewer errors, and improved clarity and quality.
“Structured radiology reports enable standardization and improved communication between radiologists and clinicians without negatively impacting reporting times,” the authors concluded.
You can download the full study here.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.