Waiting times for x ray results in England are increasing, figures show

Abstract

Waiting times for patients in England to receive the results of imaging examinations are increasing, latest figures have shown, 1 as nearly 333 000 patients waited more than a month for x ray results.The Royal College of Radiologists surveyed radiology departments at all NHS trusts in England on 26 February and asked how many imaging examinations, including x rays, CT (computed tomography) scans, and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans, were unreported on their systems and had been waiting more than 30 days for a radiologist to write a report on them.At nearly three quarters of the NHS trusts submitting data to the survey (71%; 86 of 121) some patients had waited more than 30 days for the results of their imaging tests. The response rate was 78%, as 121 of 155 trusts provided the information requested.In total 257 158 x rays were still waiting to be reported 30 days after images had been taken, in addition to 2883 CT scans and 3277 MRI scans. These figures suggest that almost 330 000 patients across England wait more than a month for x ray results and that nearly 8000 have a similar delay while waiting for results from CT or MRI scans. The figures showed that the number of imaging examinations with delayed reporting of results had increased slightly since a similar survey in October 2014."These findings are deeply concerning and back up the results of our initial survey," said Giles Maskell, president of the Royal College of Radiologists. "Amongst the patients waiting so long for their results there will be some with cancer and other serious conditions whose future health could be put at risk by the delay."Huge variation was found between trusts: 35 reported that they had no patients waiting for reports from x rays or scans, while others had tens of thousands of x rays awaiting reports more than 30 days after images had been taken.Most of the unreported x rays (71%) and CT scans (67%) were from three of the 10 NHS regions-South East, London, and East of England. Just over half of unreported MRI studies (55%) were from the West Midlands, London, and South East regions.Two thirds of study participants provided comments with their data, identifying common challenges such as resourcing issues, staff commitments, and increasing demand.

Checklists for interpreting chest radiographs: a scoping review protocol

“…For example, in 2015 there were only an estimated 650 registered radiologists in South Africa, equating to 1.2 radiologists per 100,000 people in a population of 52 million [ 1 ]. These staff shortages led to general radiographic images not being reported, or reporting being delayed well beyond internationally acceptable reporting time parameters [ 2 ]. Lack of reporting of radiographic images by radiologists may contribute to misdiagnosis or mismanagement of patients [ 2 ].…”

“…These staff shortages led to general radiographic images not being reported, or reporting being delayed well beyond internationally acceptable reporting time parameters [ 2 ]. Lack of reporting of radiographic images by radiologists may contribute to misdiagnosis or mismanagement of patients [ 2 ]. Globally, radiographer-led reporting and image interpretation were introduced to improve patient management, reduce waiting times and costs, enhance patient safety and have been recommended as a solution to bolster the radiology workforce [ 3 , 4 ].…”