Academic radiology departments have traditionally asked trainees to provide after-hours interpretations, with an attending radiologists confirming the findings the following morning. But concerns over quality have led some facilities to employ attending radiologists around the clock.

According to a study published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology , however, one institution’s overall discrepancy rate between residents and attendings was just 1.4 percent.

“Despite a trend toward attending radiologist staffing after hours, trainees will likely issue preliminary interpretations in many departments for the foreseeable future,” wrote Vincent Mellnick, MD, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues. “This practice is supported by low discrepancy rates, but requires continued data tracking to ensure quality and safety and patient-centered communication of results, particularly when discrepancies exist.”

Mellnick et al. reviewed discrepancy data from January 2013 to December 2014. Radiology residents interpreted more than 153,000 exams during that time, resulting in 2,169 discrepancies (1.4 percent) between residents and attendings.

The data revealed that there were technically more discrepancies as the residents moved further along in the residency. While the discrepancy rate for postgraduate year (PGY)-5 residents was 1.88 percent, the rate was 1.65 percent for PGY-4 residents and 1.31 percent for PGY-3 residents.

Read More – Source: Study finds low overall discrepancy rate between residents, attending radiologists | Radiology Business

Jun 30, 2016 | Michael Walter