title: Image quality improvement after implementation of a CT accreditation program.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: You Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Byung Gil
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Yu Ri
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Seong Su
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Young Mi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: Yeon Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Jae Mun
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: 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*
references.citation: Korean J Radiol. 2008 Jul-Aug;9(4):354-63
references.pmid: 18682674
references.citation: Korean J Radiol. 2009 Sep-Oct;10(5):490-5
references.pmid: 19721834