Pari Gul, Palwasha Gul, Khanda Gul, Shama Jogezai, Seema Nayab, Tanzila Parveen.
Structured reporting of mri pelvis for fibroids: referring physicians preferences regarding treatment and surgical planning.
Pak J Radiol Jan ;29(3):187-93.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore clinician`s views with respect to current reporting practices and assess the preferred reporting style in MRI pelvis for fibroids of the referring Gynecologist to establish whether there is a perceived requirement for structured reports. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Four hypothetical radiology reports, two structured and two unstructured reports, were created for the purpose of this study by two experienced consultant radiologists. Each set of report was identical in terms of content. The reports, each followed immediately by a multiple-choice questionnaire listing possible diagnoses from the report, were distributed to the consultant gynecologists/fellows of a tertiary care hospital. The referring physicians were to rank their level of satisfaction for structured and unstructured reports and state the reasons for their responses. RESULTS: Of the 80 questionnaires distributed to the referring physicians, a total of 73 responses were received. Structured text rated highest readability, time saving and helpfulness in terms of style and content. The average rate of preferences was 80% for structured reports and 20% for unstructured reports The average percentage of clarity and completeness of report for structured compared with unstructured reports was 90% and 10 % respectively. Structured reports were opted by 68 respondents as compared to narrative for surgical planning of fibroid treatment. Reasons cited by the referring physicians for preference of conventional reporting included ease of comprehension and enhanced clarity of radiology report. CONCLUSION: Structured radiology reports were considered significantly superior to that of unstructured reports. A structured radiology report format can positively impact the referring clinician`s ability to recall the critical findings with statistically significance. Structured reports were more helpful and easier to understand by clinicians and can provide essential information for fibroids treatment planning.

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