Peer Review Tool for General Radiography Technologists Improves Image Quality
| Autor: | Andrew M. Hsiao, Petar Seslija, Charlotte J. Yong-Hing, Yogesh Thakur, Annemarie Budau-Bymoen |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Quality management Quality Assurance Health Care Image quality media_common.quotation_subject Radiography education Patient care 030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine medicine Humans Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging Medical physics Quality (business) Retrospective Studies Accreditation media_common Jurisdiction business.industry General Medicine Quality Improvement 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis business Quality assurance |
| Zdroj: | Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal. 71:48-57 |
| ISSN: | 1488-2361 0846-5371 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0846537119885705 |
| Popis: | Purpose: Quality improvement is vital to ensure health-care providers meet optimal patient care standards. Within our jurisdiction, accreditation requires image peer review as part of the quality assurance program. We propose a method to improve quality assurance in radiography by implementing a novel software-based peer review system for radiography technologists. Methods: This is a retrospective study. A peer review tool was developed in Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic. The tool has 14 image quality criteria, which were selected based on national and international criteria, each containing standardized answers ensuring a common scoring regime. The tool provides data analysis and storage of all peer reviews performed. Radiography supervisors utilized the tool to evaluate image quality of various body parts at 28 hospitals. The tool enabled each Medical Imaging Department to objectively score images at their own hospital. Approximately 2% of all radiographs were randomly chosen for peer review. Additionally, the tool allowed for regional analysis based on hospital, body part, and quality criterion. Results: Initial findings exposed equipment-related issues such as worn imaging plates, artifacts, and poor exposures, which prompted increased preventative maintenance. Other documented issues included foreign objects, inadequate collimation and centering, and inconsistent usage of lead markers. After identifying quality assurance-related issues, hospitals implemented education, resulting in improved overall image quality scores in subsequent audits. Conclusion: The peer review tool helped identify and correct various issues affecting image quality and ensures our program meets required accreditation standards. Furthermore, staff found utilizing the tool to identify areas for improvement improved collaboration, ongoing education, and support between staff. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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