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Following the July 2021 Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report this conference focuses on Improving Radiology Reporting & Escalation.
With an opening address from Dr. Jeanette Dickson, President of The Royal College of Radiologists
This conference focuses on the important issue of improving radiology reporting turnaround times and escalation when unexpected results are identified. The conference will explore how the development of Radiology Information Systems and PACS can support staff to ensure optimisation, support the move towards imaging networks and ensure integration of Artificial Intelligence into workflow. The national review of radiology reporting which took place before Covid-19 by the Care Quality Commission found huge variation in radiology reporting highlighting trusts that had backlogs of 33,400 unreported images.
“Unlocking Solutions in Imaging, reviews and collates a range of patient stories involving missed or delayed diagnoses of significant findings following an X-ray or scan, and documents recurrent themes of varied or poor escalation procedures and communication between hospital teams. It builds on a string of NHS imaging reviews and recommendations made in recent years”
“We highly commend the Ombudsman for its report…The PHSO report highlights tragic cases whereby significant unexpected imaging findings were missed or not escalated promptly. The RCR is extremely clear, across all our guidance and training, that reporters must flag such discoveries if they detect them.. The Ombudsman’s call for NHS digital shortcomings to be addressed as an urgent patient safety matter is both bold and pivotal. The COVID-19 response has demonstrated the NHS can make rapid digital improvements, such as rolling out remote and networked scan reporting. Innovations in imaging IT must continue as the health service recovers, and trusts must be centrally supported to allocate the staff time and capital investment needed to upgrade IT and alert systems…Hospital imaging teams are under more pressure than ever, battling through covid backlogs on top of spiralling demand for radiology scans and procedures, and it is crucial that any system and local-level efficiencies that can happen, do. Staff desperately need breathing space to implement systems change, but this will only take us so far..”
“Unreported images and imaging backlogs can have implications for clinicians, trust, and ultimately patient safety. This includes delays in diagnosis which can cause stress and anxiety for patients, potentially leading to poorer outcomes… Imaging backlogs and the use of autoreporting to manage them can result in missed diagnoses.”
This conference will enable you to:
- Network with colleagues who are working to improve radiology reporting turnaround times and safety
- Reflect on the July 2021 PHSO report and recommendations
- Look ahead to the development of National Standards for Radiology Report Turnaround Times
- Learn from outstanding practice in radiology reporting
- Reflect on national developments and learning from the Imaging Networks
- Improve the way you monitor radiology reporting turnaround times, use key performance indicators to monitor reporting times effectively, ensure board oversight and manage and escalate backlogs
- Reflect on the use of Technological advances in reporting and Artificial Intelligence
- Identify how digital imaging and the effective use of PACS and RIS can support improvement in turnaround times
- Explore the role of the reporting radiographer
- Ensuring patients safety and board oversight
- Identify key strategies for safe insourcing and outsourcing
- Understand the legal implications of backlogs, unreported images and staff competence in reporting
- Self assess and reflect on your own practice
- Gain CPD accreditation points contributing to professional development and revalidation evidence
