title: Diagnostic reading session: temporal patterns and case-order effects.
abstract: The authors analyzed receiver-operating-characteristic studies to determine temporal patterns and performance as a function of the elapsed time in a reading session. Nineteen radiologists each read as many as 300 chest images with use of seven different display modalities, including conventional and laser-printed film and high-resolution soft display. With a computerized reporting system, the ratio of observers' interpretation rates (time to diagnosis) were recorded for the last five and 10 compared with the first five and 10 of 30-40 cases seen in sessions lasting 45-110 minutes. Observers tended to accelerate their interpretation as the sessions progressed by an average of 15% (P < .001). The acceleration was consistent for all readers (both fast and slow) with a variety of display modes under the nonrestricted time environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburg, PA 15261-0001.
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Good
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sumkin
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Miketic
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gur
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D013997:Time Factors