Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to compare the compatibility of radiology reports and image interpretations performed by emergency medicine residents (EMR) for whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) scans—including brain, cervical, thoracic, and abdominal regions— requested for patients with multiple traumas admitted to the emergency department in our hospital.
Materials and Methods: This study included 150 multiple trauma patients admitted to the Emergency Department of Mustafa Kemal University Hospital over a one-year. Official radiology interpretations and EMR interpretations of brain, cervical, thoracic, and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans were compared. Accuracy rates, Cohen’s kappa coefficient, specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. Data were recorded and analyzed in SPSS version 22.
Results: The accuracy rate for brain CT was 96% (kappa: 0.920), cervical CT 96.7% (kappa: 0.882), thoracic CT 96.6% (kappa: 0.926) , and abdominal CT 96.6% (kappa: 0.919). Overall accuracy across all CT scans was 96% with a kappa value of 0.764 (specificity: 97.1%, sensitivity: 84.6%, PPV: 98.5%, NPV: 73.3%). The agreement between EMR and radiologists for all CT regions was statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: There is a high level of agreement between the interpretations of EMR and radiologists in CT scans performed in emergency departments. This concordance may help expedite the clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment process for patients.

Key words: Multiple trauma, emergency department, computed tomography, emergency medicine residents