Standard Reports
Structured Standard Reports
The radiology report is the means by which radiologists communicate their findings and impressions of imaging studies. To be most effective and communicate best with referring physicians, those reports must be clear, concise, readable and easy to understand. Structured reports are reported to be preferred by referring physicians, and also facilitate the extraction of key information. Professional Radiology promotes the use of structured standard reporting in order to provide improved written communication with the referring physician, while also serving as a checklist for our radiologists to comment on all important structures, providing overall enhanced quality.
PRI, through our Quality Assurance Committee, continually assesses radiologist quality and uniformity of practice to ensure standards. Part of this process involves evaluating radiology reports not only for accuracy of diagnosis, but also for correct usage of terms and descriptors. The Committee provides feedback to the group on recommendations. The Committee recommends the usage of checklist-driven reports to ensure inclusion of all pertinent positive findings and negative, and also the mention of all important structures included in the type of exam. PRI’s Quality Assurance Committee regularly performs random reviews of reports according to specialty or modality. The reports are reviewed for accuracy of diagnosis, correct use of terms and description, and format.
