Errors in Radiology, 2012

Diagnostic errors are important in all branches of medicine because they are an indication of poor patient care. As the number of malpractice cases continues to grow, radiologists will become increasingly involved in litigation. The aetiology of radiological error is multi-factorial. This book focuses on (1) some medico-legal aspects inherent to radiology (radiation exposure related to imaging procedures and malpractice issues related to contrast media administration are discussed in detail) and on (2) the spectrum of diagnostic errors in radiology. Communication issues between the radiologists and physicians and between the radiologists and patients are also presented. Every radiologist should understand the sources of error in diagnostic radiology as well as the elements of negligence that form the basis of malpractice litigation.

1 Errors in radiology: definition and classification.- 2 Malpractice claims in mammography.- 3 Errors in the diagnosis of lung neoplasms.- 4 Errors in polytrauma.- 5 Missed fractures in the Emergency Department.- 6 Missed fractures in children.- 7 Plain film or MDCT as first diagnostic tool in patients with cervical spine injury: critical issues.- 8 Errors in sonography.- 9 Errors in color Doppler ultrasonography.- 10 Errors in MDCT angiography.- 11 Errors in MDCT coronary angiography.- 12 Errors in the diagnosis of hepatic neoplasms.- 13 Pitfalls in pancreatic imaging.- 14 Errors in interpretation of non-traumatic acute abdomen.- 15 Errors in MDCT diagnosis of intestinal ischemia and infarction.- 16 Crohn’s disease: Errors of interpretation in emergency MDCT evaluation.- 17 Pitfalls of MRCP in the evaluation of the biliary tract and pancreatic duct.- 18 Errors in musculoskeletal MRI.- 19 Errors and medico-legal issues in interventional radiology.- 20 Errors in radiology reporting.- 21 Errors in radiology: a biostatistical framework.- 22 Child abuse: imaging and legal aspects.- 23 Retained intra-abdominal surgical sponges: critical issues.- 24 Foreign bodies ingestion and colorectal foreign bodies: diagnostic challenges.- 25 Radiological and medico-legal problems of body-packing.- 26 Assessment of risk in radiology using malpractice RVUs.- 27 Contrast media administration: safety issues and legal aspects.- 28 Strategies to reduce errors in radiology.

The main reason for studying medical errors is to try to prevent them A radiology safety culture will only exist when the radiologist who made the error views such feedback positively as a learning experience Identification and reduction of diagnostic error provides a measure of the efficacy of the healthcare system, as it reduces mortality, morbidity and additional healthcare costs