Impact of a Structured Report Template on the Quality of Multislice Spiral Computed Tomography Scan Reports for Small Bowel Diseases: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Background: The application of multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) scan has improved the diagnosis of small bowel diseases (SBDs). Objectives: This study aimed to develop a structured report (SR) template for SBDs based on MSCT scans and to compare its value with free-text reports (FTRs) by radiologists with different levels of seniority in radiology. Patients and Methods: A total of 120 SBD cases were confirmed based on the clinical manifestations, surgery, colonoscopy, and pathology. An SR template for small bowel imaging was developed, and six radiologists were divided into inexperienced and experienced groups. Sixty cases with small intestinal MSCT data were available for FTRs and another 60 cases for SRs after training. The report accuracy, satisfaction, and completion time were compared between the two reporting methods. Results: The writing time of SRs was significantly shorter than that of FTRs. By using FTRs, the experienced group showed higher levels of sensitivity for all diseases (i.e., intestinal wall, intestinal peripheral artery, blood vessel, bone, and other abdominal organ diseases) (P < 0.05). The experienced group showed a low misdiagnosis rate for all diseases (P < 0.05), except for bone disease (P = 0.161). By using SRs, the experienced group only showed a low misdiagnosis rate for the intestinal wall disease (P < 0.05). High sensitivity for the intestinal wall disease (P < 0.05) and intestinal peripheral artery disease (P = 0.024), along with improved sensitivity for bone lesions (P < 0.05), was reported in this group. In the inexperienced group, SRs improved sensitivity for all diseases (P < 0.05), except for intestinal wall disease (P > 0.05). The satisfaction scores for both inexperienced and experienced groups improved by using SRs (4 vs. 2.6 for the inexperienced group and 4.1 vs. 3.2 for the experienced group; P < 0.05 for both). Conclusion: The SRs were superior to FTRs in terms of writing efficiency, accuracy, and satisfaction. They could improve the accuracy of inexperienced radiologists in diagnosis and help detect SBDs.