Purpose: Quality reporting of imaging studies requires meeting a set of requirements including adequate technical study parameters and protocol, post processing, comparison with priors and consideration of patient history and results of prior diagnostic procedures.
When any of the aforementioned is insufficient, it is the responsibility of the radiologist to contact the appropriate team members who are responsible for addressing the problems. In some cases, patients may be asked to return for further imaging, which can prolong the completion of the diagnostic report.
Effective communication between the radiologist, radiographers and the administrative staff members is imperative in order to minimize errors and decrease the amount of time wasted during this process.
Material & Methods: An information system called RECALL, was developed by the radiology department of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, in order to assist radiologists in cases that require further attention by radiographers or administrative staff while improving the quality and efficiency of the reporting process.
RECALL is a personalised, computer-based system that enables the Radiologist to report problems that may be encountered during the reporting process. The Radiologist can open a case within the system for the relevant team member through a secure online document. The radiologist can further specify the necessary steps needed to effectively address the problems. These can manifest in different forms, including recalling the patient for further scanning, adding missing priors, and performing additional reconstructions.
When problems are addressed, the case is closed and the system notifies the Radiologist.
Results: RECALL has been developed and deployed at the Radiology department and is actively being used to address cases that require further attention by Radiographers and administrative staff.
Our experience demonstrates that by using the system, Radiologists report problems faster, and these are being handled more efficiently by Radiographers and Administrative personnel.
Conclusion: Recall system provides a quick and simplified way to report problems encountered during reporting to relevant team members and ensures that problems are documented and handled promptly while maintaining transparency and accountability of team members.
RECALL is a valuable tool that has shown success in improving radiology reporting quality and efficiency.
