Potentially cancerous focal masses are frequently found on patients receiving abdominal MRI, CT, and ultrasound studies. However, some of these patients don't receive proper follow-up, a situation that can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses, according to presenter Dr. Hanna Zafar.
"Some proportion of these cases are discovered through litigation," Zafar said.
The institution's radiology department had adopted a mandatory coding scheme in 2013 for reporting the likelihood of malignancy of focal masses in the adrenals, kidneys, pancreas, and liver on all CT, MRI, and ultrasound studies. To get a better sense of the scope of the follow-up problem, the research team then reviewed the charts of nearly 700 patients who had been found over a three-month period to have a focal mass with a possibility of cancer.
Within 15 months of the initial imaging study and report indicating a possible malignancy, almost 20% had not received any follow-up and did not have a note in their medical record explaining why. The results show the need for reliable methods to monitor these patients at risk for missed or delayed cancer diagnoses, according to the researchers.
To enhance the quality and safety of patient care, radiology departments should contact patients' physicians to find out why there has been no follow-up, Zafar said.
Learn what else they found by attending this Tuesday morning session.
