Standardisation of CT protocols is a focus in the literature due to concerns about radiation exposure from increasing utilisation of CT imaging. The purpose of this study was to investigate variations to the application and adherence of protocols amongst professionals involved in the CT protocol review, namely the radiologist and the technologist, when reviewing similar CT referrals. In this study we survey concordance amongst the radiology craft group when protocolling CT studies in a simulation-based environment and to determine whether variances in the CT protocol...

Radiologists and CT technologists in a Victorian academic medical centre were surveyed after reviewing 40 anonymized CT referrals. Radiologists were asked via a single blinded survey to review the clinical information and to select the most appropriate CT protocol from the clinical indication provided. CT technologists received a single blinded survey to assess whether discrepancies in protocols selected from the radiologist survey for the same referral would translate to different CT sequences. Three technologists were asked to nominate a sequence protocol for the 40 clinical...

Radiologist survey Radiologist protocol agreement was defined where despite differences in terminology the same CT sequences, scan ranges and the use of IV contrast was protocolled. Conversely disagreement was defined where variances in these variables were observed. Radiologists protocol agreement was observed in 35% (n=14) in this simulation study (see Fig. 1). CT abdomen and pelvis examinations accounted for 57% of these referrals. Only 25% of CT angiogram studies in this study were able to achieve radiologist agreement. Radiologist protocol disagreement was seen in 65%...

This pilot study demonstrated feasibility in assessing variation in radiology protocols for CT examinations amongst radiology professional groups. Over 50% of the clinical referrals assessed in this study would have received uniformity in CT scan sequences performed by the CT technologist. Radiologists derived protocols were found to ambigousto the CT technologists when the CT sequencesspecified departed from department protocols. Ambiquity with CT angiogram studies often included queries regarding scan ranges and whether non-contrast sequences were required. Some suggestionsto reduce ambiguity in CT protocolsinclude: Using department...

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