Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital have demonstrated that using radiologic technologists instead of referring physicians to provide clinical histories of patients results in improved histories and leads to better image interpretation.
The researchers, who published their findings in the American Journal of Roentgenology, implemented an initiative designed to improve the quality and consistency of clinical histories provided to radiologists for X-rays in outpatient and emergency settings. The new protocol included three elements: information about the nature of symptoms and a description of the injury or illness; its duration; and where it occurred.
They found that with the implementation of this protocol they were able to increase the number of complete clinical histories accompanying radiography exams from 38 percent to 95 percent. Article