Table 4.
Types of near-miss abnormalities1 for diagnostic imaging alerts with and without timely follow-up at 4-weeks
|
Lack of Timely Follow- Up n = 92 (7.7) |
Timely Follow-Up n = 1104 (92.3) |
p- value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | n | (%) | ||
| Suspicious for new malignancy | p = 0.22 | ||||
| Chest radiograph with nodular density | 24 | (11) | 194 | (89) | |
| Other chest imaging suspicious for neoplasm (hilar nodes, mediastinal widening, etc.) | 9 | (5.4) | 159 | (94.6) | |
| Abnormal imaging suspicious for gastrointestinal neoplasm necessitating an endoscopic procedure | 0 | (0.0) | 18 | (100) | |
| Abnormal imaging suspicious for intra-abdominal neoplasm (kidney, liver, ovarian, etc.) | 11 | (7.1) | 143 | (94.9) | |
| Abnormal imaging suspicious for other neoplasms, further imaging recommended | 15 | (8.7) | 158 | (91.3) | |
| Other | 3 | (14.3) | 18 | (85.7) | |
| Other major new abnormalities | p = 0.04 | ||||
| Chest imaging showing non-neoplastic abnormalities (e.g. consolidation) | 5 | (4.3) | 111 | (95.7) | |
| Chest imaging showing non-specific density | 8 | (19.5) | 33 | (80.5) | |
| Spinal canal imaging abnormalities (e.g. severe canal stenosis) | 1 | (5.6) | 17 | (94.4) | |
| Other abnormal non-neoplastic imaging (e.g. aneurysm on abdominal radiograph) | 12 | (6) | 188 | (94) | |
| Other | 4 | (5.8) | 65 | (94.2) | |
1
Near misses are defined as events that could have harmed the patient but did not cause harm as a result of chance, prevention, or mitigation.