Image quality improvement after implementation of a CT accreditation program.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate any improvement in the quality of abdominal CTs after the utilization of the nationally based accreditation program.


METHODS
Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was waived. We retrospectively analyzed 1,011 outside abdominal CTs, from 2003 to 2007. We evaluated images using a fill-up sheet form of the national accreditation program, and subjectively by grading for the overall CT image quality. CT scans were divided into two categories according to time periods; before and after the implementation of the accreditation program. We compared CT scans between two periods according to parameters pertaining to the evaluation of images. We determined whether there was a correlation between the results of a subjective assessment of the image quality and the evaluation scores of the clinical image.


RESULTS
The following parameters were significantly different after the implementation of the accreditation program: identifying data, display parameters, scan length, spatial and contrast resolution, window width and level, optimal contrast enhancement, slice thickness, and total score. The remaining parameters were not significantly different between scans obtained from the two different periods: scan parameters, film quality, and artifacts.


CONCLUSIONS
After performing the CT accreditation program, the quality of the outside abdominal CTs show marked improvement, especially for the parameters related to the scanning protocol.
Kim
You Sung
YS
Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Jung
Seung Eun
SE
Choi
Byung Gil
BG
Shin
Yu Ri
YR
Hwang
Seong Su
SS
Ku
Young Mi
YM
Lim
Yeon Soo
YS
Lee
Jae Mun
JM
D000068:Accreditation; D006801:Humans; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal / Q000592:standards*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000592:standards*
Korean J Radiol. 2008 Jul-Aug;9(4):354-63
18682674
Korean J Radiol. 2009 Sep-Oct;10(5):490-5
19721834