From PACS software to electronic health records, medical imaging has access to numerous technologies that can facilitate communication between radiologists and referring doctors. To take advantage of these existing capabilities, doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital tested out a new alert system at their facility.
According to HealthImaging, a team of physicians, led by Ronilda Lacson, Ph.D., conducted a multi-year study to analyze the potential benefits and drawbacks of an automated alert system. The findings were published in the November issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Called the "Alert Notification of Critical Results," the program was embedded in the workflow of radiologists through integrated communication systems, such as enterprise-wide pagers and email.
The automated platform allowed radiologists to communicate any significant findings from readings with doctors in the Boston-based hospital. It included three categories of alerts: red, orange and yellow. The levels were determined by the state of urgency that corresponded to the radiologist's findings. Red alerts were life-threatening and required documented communication within 60 minutes, while orange and yellow required communication within three hours and 15 days, respectively.
Lacson and her colleagues wanted to evaluate the impact of the ANCR system on the communication of} imaging test results, and assess adoption of the first four years following implementation. After it was established, 95 percent of diagnostic radiology reports with critical findings were adherent to the alert policies. Overall, the automated alert system was effective at helping providers improve patient safety by enhancing clinical communications at the hospital.
Advancing communications in critical access hospitals
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights developed a comprehensive guideline for improving provider communications at health systems. Given the nation's diverse population, there is a wide range of patient needs that doctors must meet to deliver quality care.
According to the OCR, providers must conduct assessments to identify areas of improvement for hospital communications. This could be anything from more face-to-face conversations between referring physicians and radiologists to an automated alert system like the one in place at Brigham and Women's. In addition, all clinical staff should be trained in effective communication skills to ensure that the entire facility is on the same page about delivering critical information to multiple departments.
The OCR suggested that stakeholders hold meetings to consult on shortcomings in communication that could be negatively impacting the coordination of care. In some instances, this could even include patients who speak a different language, as the HHS noted that almost 61 million people in the U.S. do not use English in their homes. From there, senior management must ensure that all staff members comply with new communication standards to eliminate any potential breakdowns in correspondence. These events could have negative effects on the quality of care being provided to patients.
Radiologists have some of the most advanced technologies at their disposal, be it PACS or novel imaging techniques like digital breast tomosynthesis. When aiming to improve communications, alert system software could be the perfect solution for any sized practice.
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Ronny Bachrach
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