Medical impact of unedited preliminary radiology reports

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the potential frequency of adverse patient outcomes resulting from erroneous preliminary radiology reports.

Materials and methods: The authors determined the number of preliminary radiology reports that changed substantively between the preliminary and final version during a 10-day collection period. They analyzed 200 of 1,648 reports to determine the potential for adverse outcome.

Results: Only 5.6% of the preliminary radiology reports were changed substantively. Two percent of all reports contained changes that would have led to additional testing or treatment and, possibly, increased morbidity.

Conclusion: Immediate electronic transfer of a preliminary radiology report results in a small but important number of adverse outcomes; however, if a final edited report follows within 24 hours and referring physicians are called whenever the preliminary report contains erroneous information, the benefits of rapid information transmission may outweigh the additional risks.