[The roentgen patient record--a useful document for quality assurance or failed attempt? A study of distribution and utilization of the roentgen patient record among patients and institutions in Bremen].

Use and effectiveness of X-ray cards were investigated in a sample of 640 clients who had come for X-ray screening to the Public Health office in Bremen between April 1993 and September 1994 (n = 640). Only 8% of 541 possible clients with former X-ray examinations had their card completely filled in. A survey among 53 institutions which are expected to distribute or fill in X-ray cards revealed that only 5 distributed and only another 5 filled actively filled in the cards.