More than one-third of the errors in radiologist reports are made after-hours by trainees and then confirmed by a consultant radiologist, even though after-hours reports accounted for only 18 percent of all reports, according to research published Sept. 13 in Clinical Radiology.
Researchers, led by A. Nanapragasam from the department of radiology at Newcastle University in the U.K., analyzed 100 of the most recent cases reviewed by a discrepancy forum in a tertiary neuroradiology provider.
Only 18 percent of overall scans were reported by the trainee and then checked by the consultant, but these accounted for 52 percent of errors.
“The principal finding of the present study is the association between a trainee report and subsequent consultant error,” Nanapragasam et al. wrote.
“Although trainee reports constitute only 18 percent of reporting activity, they make up 52 percent of erroneous reports. This provides a salient reminder of the biasing effect that a trainee report can have upon the subsequent consultant scan checking.”
The researchers noted that their findings are likely attributed to confirmation bias, in which a trainee’s report may influence the radiologist consultant's decisions when checking and create inattentional blindness.
Raising awareness of confirmation bias in trainee reporting may reduce error in radiology reports overall, the researchers suggested.
“Trainee reporting is the cornerstone of radiology training; however, consultants and hospital administrators need to be aware of the potential for error in this reporting context,” the researchers wrote. “With a greater understanding of the various factors and cognitive biases that predispose to error we can limit their prevalence and the resulting clinical outcome.”
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.