Clinical Radiology Orals

Abstract

Body: The last 20 years has seen a radiology workforce shift towards radiologists who are sub specialised within anatomical regions. Workforce reviews suggest that subspecialist radiologists tend to be involved in the care of more complex patients and perform more complex procedures. Evidence suggests that there are fewer reporting errors with subspecialty reporting. 3, 4 Sub specialisation in radiology may also be necessary for radiologists to continue to add value in a workforce where non-radiologists are increasingly skilled at interpreting radiological studies themselves. On the other hand, rostering requirements continue to generate demand for radiologists who are able to work in a generalist capacity. Purpose: To investigate tertiary hospital clinician preference on sub specialist versus generalist radiology reports. Methods and Materials: Referring consultant clinicians (outside radiology) at Royal Perth Hospital were invited by email to participate in an online questionnaire between August 2019 and March 2020. The questionnaire consisted of a combination of 8 multiple choice and Likert scale questions. Multiple choice questions also included a free text response option, where applicable. Results: 130 responses were received from 398 eligible clinicians (33% response rate). 69% preferred a subspecialist radiologist who spends at least half her/his time reporting in their subspecialty area, but is still able to report in a generalist capacity. 12% preferred full sub specialisation and 4% preferred a generalist radiologist. Subspecialty reporting was highly preferred for neuroradiology (77% of clinicians), followed by abdominal imaging (47%). Better interpretation of results and detection of abnormality was given as the main perceived benefit of subspecialist reporting, while the main reason for preferring general reporting was better availability. Conclusion: Most clinicians prefer subspecialist radiology reporting, but prefer a radiologist who is still able to report in a generalist capacity.