title: Evaluation of competence in the interpretation of chest radiographs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine relative rates of missed diagnoses for radiologists as a measure of competence in interpreting chest radiographs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cases involving differing interpretations of chest radiographs were collected from January 1994 through December 1999 by faculty (chest and nonchest radiology specialists) in an academic radiology department. A quarterly peer-review process designated cases months after the fact, and anonymously, as no miss or as class I (nondiagnosable), class II (very difficult diagnosis), class III (should be diagnosed most of time), or class IV (should almost always be diagnosed) missed diagnoses. The rates and classes of missed diagnoses were compared among chest faculty and for the nonchest radiology specialists as a group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chest radiologists read 184,977 studies, and nonchest radiologists read 300,684 studies. Of these, 243 missed diagnoses were classified (classes I and II, 184 cases; class III, 50; and class IV, nine). No difference was detected in the rate of class III and IV misses among chest faculty, but nonchest faculty had significantly more class III (P = .022) and class IV misses (P = .016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Random sampling of differing interpretations can yield a relative rate of missed diagnoses for radiologists. No difference was detected in clinically important misses (ie, classes III and IV) among chest radiologists, but a statistically significantly higher rate of seemingly obvious misdiagnoses was found for nonchest specialty radiologists. Potential biases may have influenced this analysis, including disease prevalence, sampling, clinical factors, observer variability, and truth-in-diagnosis.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor 48109-0326, USA.
authors: P N
authors: PN
authors: Cascade
authors: E A
authors: EA
authors: Kazerooni
authors: B H
authors: BH
authors: Gross
authors: L E
authors: LE
authors: Quint
authors: T M
authors: TM
authors: Silver
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Bowerman
authors: P G
authors: PG
authors: Pernicano
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Gebremariam
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D010380:Peer Review; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D011871:Radiology / Q000193:education