No abstract

Background The presence of a radiopaque or digital anatomical side marker (ASM) is an important diagnostic feature on radiographs and should be a routine feature on every radiographic image. Despite its importance, research has indicated numerous instances where ASMs were absent which have the potential to lead to adverse events. To date, few studies have systematically examined the use of ASMs in clinical practice and explored medical imaging professionals’ perspectives on ASM use. This research aimed to address this knowledge gap. Methods This investigation was conducted in two stages. Stage 1 involved a retrospective clinical audit of 421 randomly selected radiographs within 12-months at a pediatric medical imaging department. The data were analyzed for overall presence and type of marker use. Stage 2 comprised of semi-structured interviews with 11 radiographers to garner their perspectives on ASM use, and barriers and enablers to their use in clinical practice. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Results The overall presence of ASMs (radiopaque and digital) was observed on 99 per cent of radiographs. There was a noticeable shift towards the use of digital (78.8 per cent) compared to radiopaque ASMs (20.2 per cent), highlighting the growing trend towards using ASM in post-processing. A handful of images (N = 4) did not include any ASMs. Semi-structured interviews revealed multifaceted barriers (time, infection precautions, and patient factors) and few enablers (professionalism, legal requirement) for ASM use. Conclusion This investigation, informed by quantitative and qualitative research paradigms, has shed new light on an important area of radiography practice. While missing ASMs were a small feature, there continue to remain opportunities where best practice standards can be improved. The increasing use of digital ASMs potentially highlights a shift in clinical practice standards.

Objectives: The use of an anatomical side marker (ASM) on x-rays, be it digital or radiopaque, is an important quality and safety concept within general radiology. Using radiopaque ASMs is best practice, and lack of any ASMs may have dire consequences in terms of patient safety. To date, there have been no systematic reviews investigating the use of ASMs in clinical practice.Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases (CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Medline, EMBASE, ERIC, and JBI) from inception to March 1, 2018, was undertaken. Gray literature searching (through Google) and pearling was conducted. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified version of the McMaster Critical Appraisal tool for quantitative studies. A customized data extraction tool was developed, which included characteristics of the studies.Results: Of 624 studies, 7 studies met the eligibility criteria. Despite diverse study designs, collectively, the studies demonstrated that only a small number of x-rays did not include an ASM. On x-rays that did use a radiopaque ASM, most of them were positioned in the primary radiation field. A noticeable shift in practice from the use of radiopaque ASMs to digital ASM was also identified. Multifaceted barriers were reported for the use of ASM in routine clinical practice.Conclusions: Although missing ASMs on x-rays were a small feature, findings from this review highlight opportunities for improvement and a need to ameliorate barriers for ASM use.