title: Audit of radiology communication systems for critical, urgent, and unexpected significant findings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the compliance of UK radiology departments and trusts/healthcare organisations with National Patient Safety Agency and Royal College of Radiologist's published guidance on the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to all UK radiology department audit leads asking for details of their current departmental policy regarding the issuing of alerts; use of automated electronic alert systems; methods of notification of clinicians of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings; monitoring of results receipt; and examples of the more common types of serious pathologies for which alerts were issued.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and fifty-four of 229 departments (67%) responded. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they had a policy in place for the communication of critical, urgent, and unexpected significant radiological findings. Only 34% had an automated electronic alert system in place and only 17% had a facility for service-wide electronic tracking of radiology reports. In only 11 departments with an electronic acknowledgement system was someone regularly monitoring the read rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is wide variation in practice across the UK with regard to the communication and monitoring of reports with many departments/trusts not fully compliant with published UK guidance. Despite the widespread use of electronic systems, only a minority of departments/trusts have and use electronic tracking to ensure reports have been read and acted upon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK. Electronic address: k.duncan@nhs.net.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: Royal College of Radiologists, London, UK.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Drinkwater
authors.affiliation: Medical Imaging Department, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Thorne Rd, Doncaster, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dugar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Eastbourne District General Hospital, Eastbourne, UK.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Howlett
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D006801:Humans; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017010:Reminder Systems; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018511:Systems Integration; D006113:United Kingdom