In oncology, subspecialist radiology reports significantly favored over those from generalists
Oncologists “significantly” prefer imaging reports from subspecialized radiologists rather than generalists, according to a new study published Wednesday.
Based on a retrospective review of more than 200 reports from both types of rads, cancer docs said CT reports from subspecialists tended to be clearer and more accurate. They also were more appropriate in their interpretation and conclusions when compared to those written by generalized radiologists, researchers wrote in Insights into Imaging.
“Our study demonstrated that radiology reports of chest and abdomen CT scans written by subspecialized radiologists in oncologic imaging respond better to the clinical indication compared to those written by general radiologists, and that the agreement between oncologists increased when the reports are prepared by subspecialty radiologists,” Stefania Rizzo, with the Imaging Institute of Italian Switzerland in Lugano, and colleagues concluded in their May 26 study.
To reach their conclusions, Rizzo et al. selected 100 oncology-related CT reports from three subspecialists and 100 more from 10-plus generalized radiologists. They had a junior and senior oncologist rate all 200 on a scale of 1-5, ranging from very poor to excellent. Reviewers based their scores on categories including anatomical details, interpretation of findings, need for further explanation, appropriateness of conclusions, and overall satisfaction.
For all—except for 2 of the 5 items obtained from the senior oncologists—ratings were “significantly” higher for the subspecialty reports (p < 0.01). Mean values from both cancer docs were generally higher for the subspecialty reports (p < 0.001) and agreement between the junior and senior reviewers in their ratings was either “moderate to substantial” or “substantial to almost perfect.”
You can read more about the study in Insights into Imaging here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.