Abstract
INTRODUCTION: To assess the impact of changing from general to subspecialized reporting on turnaround time of radiology reports (TAT), the fraction of radiology reports available within 24 hours (R< 24 h) and productivity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reporting workflow in our radiology department was changed from general reporting (radiologists report imaging studies of all areas [neuroradiological, abdominal, musculoskeletal imaging et cetera]) to subspecialized reporting (radiologists solely report imaging studies of their subspecialty field [e. g. musculoskeletal]). TAT, R< 24 h and productivity were calculated for a 12-month period of general reporting (January-December 2012) and compared to a 12-month period of subspecialized reporting (April 2014-March 2015) using Mann Whitney U-test, Pearson chi-square test and odds ratios, respectively.
RESULTS: Report TAT decreased from a median of 17:04 hours (h) during general reporting to 3:38 h during subspecialized reporting, resulting in a 4.7-fold improvement (p < 0.001). R< 24 h improved significantly from 65 % to 87 % (p < 0.001). The odds of a radiology report being available < 24 h was 3.6- fold higher during subspecialized compared to general reporting. Productivity increased from a median of 301 to 376 (reports/full-time radiologist/month) (p = 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Changing the workflow from general to subspecialized reporting significantly improved the turnaround time of radiology reports, the fraction of radiology reports available within 24 hours and productivity.
KEY POINTS:
· Changing the radiology reporting workflow from general to subspecialized reporting is feasible..
· Implementation of subspecialized reporting yielded significant improvement of radiology report turnaround time..
· Implementation of subspecialized reporting substantially increased the fraction of radiology reports available < 24 h..
· Radiologists' productivity increased after changing to subspecialized reporting..
Stern, Christoph