Overlap shifts to help urgent findings communication

Publication
Article
Diagnostic ImagingDiagnostic Imaging Vol 32 No 9
Volume 32
Issue 9

Overlapping radiologist works shifts can speed up the communication of urgent x-ray findings and improve patient care, a study from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard concludes.

Overlapping radiologist works shifts can speed up the communication of urgent x-ray findings and improve patient care, a study from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard concludes.

Facilities use on-call radiologists or teleradiology services especially for MRI and CT. But in many places, coverage for interpretation of other imaging, such as conventional x-rays, is incomplete, especially during overnight and early morning hours.

To determine any change in communication of urgent findings, the study compared day shifts overlapped by the early morning shifts with standard day shifts.

The study included 6448 x-ray exams performed during an early morning radiologist shift (3 a.m. to 11 a.m.). Urgent findings requiring immediate communication were detected in 308 studies. The mean elapsed time from image acquisition to the communication of urgent results was 340 minutes in the study group and 457 minutes in the control group, a nearly two-hour difference (J Am Coll Radiol 2010;7:715-721).

Newsletter

Stay at the forefront of radiology with the Diagnostic Imaging newsletter, delivering the latest news, clinical insights, and imaging advancements for today’s radiologists.

Recent Videos
SNMMI: Emerging PET Insights on Neuroinflammation with Progressive Apraxia of Speech (PAOS) and Parkinson-Plus Syndrome
Improving Access to Nuclear Imaging: An Interview with SNMMI President Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD
SNMMI: 18F-Piflufolastat PSMA PET/CT Offers High PPV for Local PCa Recurrence Regardless of PSA Level
SNMMI: NIH Researcher Discusses Potential of 18F-Fluciclovine for Multiple Myeloma Detection
SNMMI: What Tau PET Findings May Reveal About Modifiable Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease
Emerging Insights on the Use of FES PET for Women with Lobular Breast Cancer
Can Generative AI Reinvent Radiology Reporting?: An Interview with Samir Abboud, MD
Mammography Study Reveals Over Sixfold Higher Risk of Advanced Cancer Presentation with Symptom-Detected Cancers
Combining Advances in Computed Tomography Angiography with AI to Enhance Preventive Care
Study: MRI-Based AI Enhances Detection of Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Prostate Cancer
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.