The effect of introducing radiographer reporting on the availability of reports for Accident and Emergency and General Practitioner examinations: a time-series analysis.

This study explores whether the introduction of selectively trained radiographers reporting Accident and Emergency (A&E) X-ray examinations of the appendicular skeleton affected the availability of reports for A&E and General Practitioner (GP) examinations at a typical district general hospital. This was achieved by analysing monthly data on A&E and GP examinations for 1993-1997 using structural time-series models. Parameters to capture stochastic seasonal effects and stochastic time trends were included in the models. The main outcome measures were changes in the number, proportion and timeliness of A&E and GP examinations reported. Radiographer reporting X-ray examinations requested by A&E was associated with a 12% (p=0.050) increase in the number of A&E examinations reported and a 37% (p</=0.001) decrease in the time taken to report on these examinations. Radiographer reporting of A&E X-ray examinations was also associated with a 14% (p=0.067) decrease in the time taken for GP examinations to be reported. That is, radiographer reporting A&E X-ray examinations allowed an increase in the time available to radiologists to report on examinations requested by GPs. An increase in the proportion of GP examinations reported by radiologists was associated with longer reporting times for A&E examinations. In conclusion, selectively trained radiographers reporting on A&E X-ray examinations significantly improved the availability of reports for A&E and GP examinations.