Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway USN, Pb 235, 3603, Kongsberg, Norway.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Jul 9;22(1):893. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08291-w.
Radiology professionals are frequently confronted with referrals containing insufficient clinical information, which hinders delivery of safe and quality medical imaging services. There is however lack of knowledge on why and how referral information is important for radiographers in clinical practice. This study explores what purposes referral information is used/ useful for the radiographers, and the benefits of involving them in assessing referrals.
A cross sectional study was conducted of radiographers recruited through the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT) networks. A questionnaire was developed and distributed consisting of 5-point Likert scale questions on a) use/usefulness of referral information for 12 listed purposes and b) the benefits of radiographers assessing referrals for 8 possible reasons. The questionnaire was validated using a test-retest reliability analysis. Kappa values ≥0.6 were accepted. SPSS software was used for data analysis and chi-square tests to determine associations between using referral information and background variables.
Total respondents were 279 (n = 233 currently in clinical practice and n = 46 in other positions). The participants in clinical practice ranked high all 12 listed purposes for use of referral information, and all except one received ≥60% 'frequent'/'very frequent' responses. Use for patient identification purposes received the highest score (97% 'frequently'/'very frequently' responses), followed by ensuring imaging of the correct body region (79% 'very frequently' responses). Radiographers not currently working in clinical practice ranked the 'usefulness' of listed items similarly. Significant associations between frequent use of referral information and education level were not observed, and only three items were significantly associated with modality of practice. All items on benefits of radiographers assessing referrals received ≥75% 'agree'/'strongly agree' scores. The items ranked highest were promotes radiographers' professional responsibility and improves collaboration with radiologists and referring clinicians, with 72 and 67% strongly agreed responses, respectively.
Radiographers use referral information frequently for several purposes. The referral information is needed for justifying and optimising radiological procedures, hence crucial for ensuring patient safety and high-quality services. This further emphasis why radiographers perceive several benefits of being involved in assessing the referral information.
放射科专业人员经常面临转诊信息不足的情况，这阻碍了安全和高质量的医学影像服务的提供。然而，对于放射技师在临床实践中为什么以及如何重视转诊信息，人们知之甚少。本研究探讨了转诊信息对放射技师有哪些用途/有用，以及让他们参与评估转诊的好处。
通过国际放射技师和放射技术员协会（ISRRT）网络招募放射技师进行横断面研究。开发并分发了一份问卷，其中包含 5 点李克特量表问题，涉及 12 个列出的目的（a）转诊信息的使用/有用性，以及 8 个可能原因（b）放射技师评估转诊的好处。使用测试-重测可靠性分析对问卷进行验证。接受 Kappa 值≥0.6。使用 SPSS 软件进行数据分析，并使用卡方检验确定使用转诊信息与背景变量之间的关联。
总共有 279 名受访者（n=233 人目前在临床实践中，n=46 人在其他岗位上）。在临床实践中的参与者对列出的 12 个目的的使用转诊信息的评分都很高，除了一个目的之外，所有人都得到了≥60%的“经常”/“非常频繁”的回答。用于患者识别目的的评分最高（97%的人“经常”/“非常频繁”），其次是确保对正确身体部位进行成像（79%的人“非常频繁”）。目前不在临床实践中工作的放射技师对列出项目的“有用性”的评分也相似。没有观察到频繁使用转诊信息与教育水平之间存在显著关联，只有三项与实践模式显著相关。放射技师评估转诊的所有好处都获得了≥75%的“同意”/“强烈同意”评分。排名最高的项目是促进放射技师的专业责任和与放射科医生和转诊临床医生的合作，分别有 72%和 67%的人强烈同意。
放射技师经常出于多种目的使用转诊信息。转诊信息对于证明和优化放射程序是必要的，因此对于确保患者安全和高质量的服务至关重要。这进一步强调了为什么放射技师认为参与评估转诊信息有几个好处。
