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Publication Type: Safer Practice Notice
Single or Multiple Incident: Multiple
Date: 2/5/2007 12:00:00 AM
Radiology imaging tests are requested by a registered health professional who relies on a report and image usually generated by a radiologist or radiographer. The report and image are sent to the referring health professional, who then acts on the result. The system for requesting radiology imaging tests and sending reports to the referring health professional is unreliable and has been proven to fail. Numerous fatal ands severe harm patient safety incidents were a result of failing to follow up radiological imaging reports. This Safer Practice Notice advises healthcare organisations to make changes in their policies to ensure that radiology imaging results are communicated and acted on appropriately. Specific recommended actions to reduce risk for healthcare professionals, radiology departments and reporting radiographers and radiologists, and medical and nursing directors are further outlined in the source document.


Communication
  1. Ensure that the radiological imaging reports of all patients are communicated to, and received by, the appropriate registered health professional and, where necessary, action is taken in a manner appropriate to their clinical urgency. Make it clear to patients how and when they should expect to receive the results of a diagnostic test.
  2. Ensure that the radiological imaging reports of all patients are communicated to, and received by, the appropriate registered health professional and, where necessary, action is taken in a manner appropriate to their clinical urgency. Make it clear to patients how and when they should expect to receive the results of a diagnostic test.
Rules / Policies / Procedures
  1. Ensure registered health professionals design ‘safety net’ procedures for their specialty
  2. Review relevant policies and procedures in line with the safer practice recommendations outlined in this safer practice notice.
  3. Ensure registered health professionals design ‘safety net’ procedures for their specialty
  4. Review relevant policies and procedures in line with the safer practice recommendations outlined in this safer practice notice.

Early identification of failure to act on radiological imaging reports