| Description |
Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a diagnostic tool used to measure bone mineral density (BMD), assess fracture risk, and diagnose musculoskeletal diseases, such as osteoporosis. Unfortunately, DXA exams are prone to error, leading to incorrect diagnosis and unnecessary treatment regimens. The purpose of this quality assurance project was to determine if different methods of DXA interpretation, radiologist drafting, and preliminary drafting by physician extenders for radiologist approval, contribute to the reduction of DXA errors. Retrospective analysis of 400 exams, 200 for each interpretation method, found no statistically significant correlation between the number of categorical errors reported and interpretation methods. Error categories included studies with errors, BMD change errors, and analysis errors. Of the 200 exams interpreted by radiologists, 39.5% contained at least one error, 23.5% had BMD change errors, and 36% had analysis errors. Physician extender (PE) drafted reports contained fewer errors in all categories. A review of the 200 exam PE sample set found at least one mistake in 30% of exams, BMD errors in 14.5% of studies, and analysis errors in 22.5%. In conclusion, physician extender DXA interpretation enables radiologists to focus on critical exams, decreases radiologist interruptions, preserves exam accuracy, and promotes potential quality improvement. |
