Increasing ACR Appropriateness Criteria Compliance Among Ordering Physicians
Purpose or Case Report: Despite countless hours of work by experts in radiology and other fields to create the ACR Appropriateness Criteria, there remains a lack of understanding by ordering physicians on how and when to access the guidelines. The goal of this project is to identify the areas of misunderstanding among the clinicians at our institution and provide lectures in an attempt to improve compliance with the ACR Appropriateness Criteria.
Methods & Materials: A lecture series was created for various residency programs at our institution in an attempt to increase awareness of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria and give important background information on the use of contrast media, radiation safety, and imaging during pregnancy. Lectures were created for Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine residency programs. For Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, two lectures were delivered (body imaging and neurologic imaging). In total, approximately 150 resident physicians have participated in this ongoing project at this time. This will also be given as a Grand Rounds presentation to staff pediatricians within our hospital system (approximately 400 invitees). Each lecture is composed of instructions on accessing the ACR appropriateness criteria, explanation of the methodology, radiation safety, contrast media safety, and example cases. Participants are provided with a short pretest before the lecture and a short post test after the lecture. A follow-up survey is sent to the participants 3-4 months after the lectures to assess for retention of material, perceived utility of this service, and degree to which the lecture changed daily practices. Results: Results of the pre and post test examinations demonstrated a general lack of knowledge regarding the material presented, with pretest score averaging 61.7%. After the lecture, there was improvement across all groups tested with post test score averaging 86.0%. In the groups that have received this lecture series in consecutive years, there has not been adequate recall of the material covered. Conclusions: Providing educational lectures to the clinicians at our institution increases awareness of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria and other relevant topics including radiation safety and contrast media safety. The lack of recall from year to year underscores the importance of regularly refreshing our colleagues’ knowledge on the subject matter. We hope that by continuing to educate on these topics we can ensure ongoing efficacious use of radiology.
Davis, James
( Beaumont Health
, Beverly Hills
, Michigan
, United States
)
David, Bloom
( Beaumont Health
, Beverly Hills
, Michigan
, United States
)
Gibson, Donald
( Beaumont Health
, Beverly Hills
, Michigan
, United States
)
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