The Fluidity of Diagnostic "Wet Reads" | AHRQ Patient Safety Network

The Fluidity of Diagnostic "Wet Reads" | AHRQ Patient Safety Network



The Fluidity of Diagnostic "Wet Reads"An older man with a history of heavy smoking and chest pain underwent a chest CT in the emergency department that showed no evidence of an aortic dissection on the preliminary read. Although the patient followed up soon thereafter with a new primary care physician, it was not discovered until several months later that a suspicious lung nodule had been spotted on the initial CT. Cindy S. Lee, MD, and Christopher P. Hess, MD, PhD, both of UCSF, discuss challenges associated with discrepancies between preliminary and final interpretations of radiology findings and describe systems solutions for communicating critical findings.

Table

Table. Fleischner Society Recommendations for Solid Pulmonary Nodules. 
Reprinted with permission from (7) MacMahon H, Austin JH, Gamsu G, et al; Fleischner Society. Guidelines for management of small pulmonary nodules detected on CT scans: a statement from the Fleischner Society. Radiology. 2005;237:395-400.