Implementing structured, disease-specific radiology reporting templates can improve report completeness and guideline adherence, but gaining user support remains a challenge.
A new paper published in Clinical Imaging on March 7 details the impact of a high-resolution CT (HRCT) reporting template catered specifically to interstitial lung disease (ILD). Following the introduction of the template, experts observed improvements in image descriptors and report completeness, although voluntary uptake of the template was limited [1].
ILD diagnosis involves a number of key features visualized on imaging; for this reason, ILD-specific structured reporting templates could be especially useful for providing a thorough overview of findings and in guiding treatment decisions, the experts explained.
“We propose that a structured reporting template would be beneficial in differentiating ILDs because it can prompt radiologists to report all relevant findings,” corresponding author of the new paper Han G. Ngo, with Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, and colleagues suggested.
The team gathered data starting six months prior to and following the template’s implementation. Outcomes were measured by the completeness of HRCT reports based on the documentation of 10 descriptors and by which descriptors improved following the intervention.
The analysis consisted of just over 1,000 HRCT reports during the study period. Following the intervention, 118 out of 557 (21%) reports were completed using the ILD-specific template. The intervention resulted in an increase in mean completeness scores from 9.25 to 9.93.
The most significant descriptor improvements observed were “presence of honeycombing” and “technique.”
The authors acknowledged reasons disease-specific structured reports are commonly pushed back against, like the time that is required to learn a new template and a lack of perceived clinical necessity, but they maintain that such templates are beneficial, especially in regard to reimbursement.
They suggested that more work is needed to understand how to improve uptake of the template.
The study abstract is available here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.