title: Errors in imaging patients in the emergency setting.
abstract: Emergency and trauma care produces a "perfect storm" for radiological errors: uncooperative patients, inadequate histories, time-critical decisions, concurrent tasks and often junior personnel working after hours in busy emergency departments. The main cause of diagnostic errors in the emergency department is the failure to correctly interpret radiographs, and the majority of diagnoses missed on radiographs are fractures. Missed diagnoses potentially have important consequences for patients, clinicians and radiologists. Radiologists play a pivotal role in the diagnostic assessment of polytrauma patients and of patients with non-traumatic craniothoracoabdominal emergencies, and key elements to reduce errors in the emergency setting are knowledge, experience and the correct application of imaging protocols. This article aims to highlight the definition and classification of errors in radiology, the causes of errors in emergency radiology and the spectrum of diagnostic errors in radiography, ultrasonography and CT in the emergency setting.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Surgery F Magrassi-A. Lanzara, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reginelli
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Marcianise Hospital, ASL Caserta (CE), Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: 4 Section of Radiological Sciences, DIBIMED, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lo Re
authors.affiliation: 4 Section of Radiological Sciences, DIBIMED, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Midiri
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muzj
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Health Science, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brunese
mesh_terms: D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans
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