Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29119073›Full record

ArticleDiagnosis (Berlin, Germany)2017

Assigning responsibility to close the loop on radiology test results.

Janice L Kwan, Hardeep Singh

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diagnosis (Berlin, Germany), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. American College of Veterinary Radiology and European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging consensus statement on imaging report foundations.Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. An Evolution of Reporting: Identifying the Missing Link.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Janice L KwanDepartment of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, 427-600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada.
Hardeep SinghHouston Veterans Affairs Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Funding

Decision Making and Clinical Work of Test Result Follow-up in Health IT SettingsR01HS022087 · AHRQ · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI SINGH, HARDEEP · 2013 to 2016
$2.0M
Using Electronic Data to Improve Care of Patients with Known or Suspected CancerR18HS017820 · AHRQ · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI SINGH, HARDEEP · 2008 to 2010
$1.2M
Reducing Missed And Delayed Diagnoses In Cancer: Lessons From AviationK23CA125585 · NCI · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI SINGH, HARDEEP · 2007 to 2011
$709k
Automated Point-of-Care Surveillance of Outpatient Delays in Cancer DiagnosisI01HX000993 · VA · MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER · PI SINGH, HARDEEP · 2013 to 2013
–
AHRQ HHS R01 HS022087AHRQ HHS R18 HS017820AHRQ HHS R21 HS023602HSRD VA I01 HX000993NCI NIH HHS K23 CA125585
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Failure to follow-up on test results represents a serious breakdown point in the diagnostic process which can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses and patient harm. Amidst discussions to ensure fail-safe test result follow-up, an important, yet under-discussed question emerges: how do we determine who is ultimately responsible for initiating follow-up action on the tests that are ordered? This seemingly simple question belies its true complexity. Although many of these complexities are also applicable to other diagnostic specialities, the field of medical imaging provides an ideal context to discuss the challenges of attributing responsibility of test result follow-up. In this review, we summarize several key concepts and challenges in the context of critical results, wet reads, and incidental findings to stimulate further discussion on responsibility issues in radiology. These discussions could help establish reliable closed-loop communication to ensure that every test result is sent, received, acknowledged and acted upon without failure.

Indexed as

diagnostic errorhealth ITmedical imagingpatient safetyquality improvementradiologytest result management

Identifiers

PMID29119073
PMCPMC5673267

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.