Journal of digital imaging
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Radiographs are ordered and interpreted for immediate clinical decisions 24 hours a day by emergency physicians (EP's). The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations requires that all these images be reviewed by radiologists and that there be some mechanism for quality improvement (QI) for discrepant readings. There must be a log of discrepancies and documentation of follow up activities, but this alone does not guarantee effective Q. ⋯ This system has reduced the need for the radiologist to ask or guess what the impression was in the ED the night before. It has reduced the variability in recording of impressions by EP's, in communication back from radiologists, in the clinical] follow-up made, and in the documentation of the whole QI process. This system ensures that EP's receive notification of their discrepant readings, and provides continuing education to all the EP's on interpreting images on their patients.
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We developed a system for delivering radiologic images and reports to desktop computers used for the electronic medical record (EMR). This system was used by both primary care physicians and specialists primarily in the out-patient setting. ⋯ In this report we describe some of the differences and similarities in usage patterns for the two physician groups. A very high percentage of physicians indicated that having image display capabilities on the workstations was very valuable.