What is Radiology Reporting, and Why Should It Be Online?
Dec 16, 2019
Read Time: 2 min
by Novarad
Digital transformation has been taking place in healthcare for some years now, and many medical facilities offer at least some form of online patient access. When it comes to certain departments, it is perhaps more important than ever.
Radiology is one of those departments. Let’s take a look at the basics of radiology reporting and why it is so important to move towards radiology reporting online.
What is a radiology report?
A radiology report is a document that details the most pertinent information of an imaging study. It is shared between the radiologist and the physician who requested the exam. That physician typically shares that information with the patient verbally, though an increasing number of practices are putting their radiology reports online for direct patient access.
What should be included in a radiology report?
Typically a radiology report should include some combination of the following details:
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Indication/reason for the study
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Procedure
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Technique
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Findings
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Impressions/Conclusion/Diagnosis
We use the word “combination” here because not every radiology report is exactly the same. For example, while some may include an official conclusion or diagnosis, some may just include impressions and a suggestion for further examination.
How often do radiologists make mistakes?
The number of diagnostic errors in radiology is surprisingly high, with research suggesting that the error rate could be between 10-15% and even as much as 20% — and this is for the rate of “clinically significant errors.”
This is where the importance of taking your radiology reporting online comes in. A large number of those clinically significant errors are down to various limitations that come from obsolete technology — things such as communication errors, problems with technique, or errors in image acquisition.
Why use cloud-based systems?
Making the progression to cloud-based systems is one of the best ways to reduce these errors. Advanced PACS and RIS systems are able to quickly and efficiently deliver important information, including generating, storing, and delivering reports to the relevant parties.
All information is stored securely on the could, making it less likely for data to get lost in communication, and much easier to track altogether.
Our NovaPACS solution has custom-built workflows, meaning you can design your workflow specifically to fit your facility; this makes things easier for staff, but also more efficient for patients. With this system, you can view images with their associated reports simultaneously, which further decreases the chance of error.
As we move forward into the new decade, it is becoming increasingly important to move to the cloud and provide online options for your patients. Providing radiology reports online is a good place to start.