Checklists could be used by staff to improve patient safety.
A standardized contrast reaction management checklist helps reduce treatment errors, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle assessed the performance of a contrast reaction management checklist for optimal management of a contrast reaction scenario created using a high-fidelity hands-on simulation.
Forty-three radiology residents participated in the study; 22 were assigned to the checklist group and 21 to the control group. The safety checklist was designed to present the five adverse events that most commonly occur after administration of IV contrast medium, as well as their step-by-step management.
Each participant took written tests two months before and immediately after participating in the high-fidelity simulation scenario, which was videotaped and independently evaluated by three graders.
The results showed that while both groups had similar scores on the multiple-choice question tests taken before and after participation in the simulation, after the simulation, the checklist group scored significantly higher than the control group with regard to their overall management of a severe contrast reaction, including individual scores for first-line treatment of bronchospasm and use of the correct route of administration and dose of epinephrine.
Checklist group/Control group
Overall management of severe contrast reaction 85.1% / 64.8%
Individual scores for first-line treatment of bronchospasm 97% / 91.3%
Use of correct route of administration and dose of epinephrine 77.3% / 45.2%
The researchers concluded that a standardized contrast reaction management checklist can reduce the number of treatment errors that occur during a simulated severe contrast reaction, particularly with regard to proper administration of epinephrine and treatment of bronchospasm. Such a checklist could be used by radiologists, technologists, and nurses to improve patient safety as a result of improved contrast reaction management and teamwork skills.
A Victory for Radiology: New CMS Proposal Would Provide Coverage of CT Colonography in 2025
July 12th 2024In newly issued proposals addressing changes to coverage for Medicare services in 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its intent to provide coverage of computed tomography colonography (CTC) for Medicare beneficiaries in 2025.
The Reading Room Podcast: Emerging Trends in the Radiology Workforce
February 11th 2022Richard Duszak, MD, and Mina Makary, MD, discuss a number of issues, ranging from demographic trends and NPRPs to physician burnout and medical student recruitment, that figure to impact the radiology workforce now and in the near future.
ACR Collaborative Model Leads to 35 Percent Improvement with Mammography Positioning Criteria
July 1st 2024Noting significant variation with facilities for achieving passing criteria for mammography positioning, researchers found that structured interventions, ranging from weekly auditing of images taken by technologists to mechanisms for feedback from radiologists to technologists, led to significant improvements in a multicenter study.
New Study Shows Non-Radiologists Interpreting 28 Percent of Imaging for Medicare Patients
June 28th 2024While radiologists interpreted approximately 99 percent of all non-cardiac CT, MRI and nuclear medicine studies in hospital and emergency department settings for Medicare beneficiaries, new research shows significantly less radiologist review of cardiac imaging and office-based imaging.