RADIOLOGY REQUEST FORM;

Abstract

Background: An incompletely filled Radiology Request Form (RRF) is a common problem faced by both radiologists andradiographers. Objective: The study was carried out to objectively evaluate the adequacy of completion of radiology request forms in atertiary care centre. Indoor and outdoor patient departments of POF Hospital Wah Cantonment. Design: Descriptive, retrospective study.Setting: Radiology Department POF Hospital, Wah Cantonment. Period: 01 Jul 2009 to 01 September 2009. Methods: A total of 1500request forms received by the radiology department from 01Jul 2009 to 01Sep 2009 were reviewed. These included requests for a varietyof examinations from different departments within POF Hospital, Wah Cantonment. A database of the collected forms was created, notingwhich of the various fields were adequately completed. Results: Only 270 out of the 1500 forms were completed in full and 1230 were notcompletely filled. The only parameter fulfilled in all the forms was the presence of referring doctor’s signature. The commonest blankfields were as follows: patient location: 62%, clinical notes: 67.26%, doctor's name: 47.33% and date of referral: 14.2%. Conclusions:The inadequate transmission of clinical information observed in this study is typical example of the various problems that radiologistshave to face.