Page 16 - Diagnostic Radiology - Interpreting the Risks Part Two_Neat

SVMIC Diagnostic Radiology: Interpreting the Risks

inflexibility, which can impede workflow and productivity as well

as cause end-user fatigue. As imaging volume and complexity
continue to grow over time, the impact of visual fatigue on

diagnostic accuracy is becoming increasingly important. The
following case illustrates this issue well.

CASE STUDY

A 64-year-old male presented to his PCP with a cough and
difficulty breathing. A chest x-ray was ordered and interpreted
by the radiologist as right-lower lobe pneumonia. The patient

returned to his PCP seven months later with complaints of left

shoulder pain/tenderness. A left shoulder x-ray was read by
the same radiologist as “normal”. Three months later, another
left shoulder x-ray was read as left rotator cuff tendonitis. Ten

months after that x-ray, the patient was diagnosed with non-

small cell carcinoma of the left upper lobe and died three
months later. The cancer was visible on all of the previous
films.

At trial, the radiologist testified that he was reading 700-

800 examinations a day during this time period and each
examination contained one to five images. He further

testified that each examination varied, but he typically spent
approximately 30 seconds per examination. He also testified

that his “compensation was based upon the number of
examinations that he reviewed”. He said that subsequent to

this case, he had decreased the number of
examinations to around 400-450 per day. This

testimony was not well-received by the jury,
resulting in a seven-figure payout.

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