Standardized reports
Standardized reports may be a helpful starting point for reporting examinations. However, with practice and confidence, breaking away from the standard report is possible and, in many cases, desirable. On the other hand in some instances standardized reports facilitate the creation of automated systems related to the reports including those which feed AI applications. Many institutions use templates to encourage standardized reporting.
The standard report may help to remember review areas and in times of increasing litigation may be considered useful. However, the standard report may be wordy and overly complex for answering the question posed by the clinician.
Standard report
Most reports have the following layout:
Clinical details
What the clinician wrote on the card - supplemented by any other important and pertinent information gained from other sources (such as previous reports).
Technique
Helpful to give you and the clinician an idea of how sensitive the result is. A non-contrast CT abdomen looking for renal stones is less sensitive at looking at the bowel than a CT abdomen/pelvis with oral and IV contrast. Similarly a CT abdomen that stops at the iliac blade cannot assess the sigmoid colon.
Inclusion of whether or not a comparison study is available and when it was from is useful here too.
Examples
CT chest, abdomen and pelvis with oral and IV contrast
Comparison CT: 14 August 2009
Non-contrast CT head: no comparison CT available
Triple-phase pancreatic study
No previous CT available for comparison
Findings
The body of the report. Findings of the case including relevant negative findings.
Summary
A summary of the findings. This may be a couple of short sentences or a bulleted list. Don't simply repeat what was described in the findings section. It is also pointless to write "findings as above" or words to that effect, as this adds nothing. A short and snappy conclusion lets the clinician know all the pertinent points and allows them to choose whether to read the whole report.
Reporter's details
Title, name, job title and professional registration number of the reporter.
e.g. Dr Jon House, Consultant Radiologist, GMC 1234565
See also
