The impact of radiographer immediate reporting on patient outcomes and service delivery within the emergency department: Designing a randomised controlled trial

Designing a large research trial to comprehensively evaluate the impact of a service initiative can be daunting but it is not beyond the skills and abilities of radiographers and non-medical professionals. This paper describes the development of a protocol and operational aspects of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of radiographer immediate reporting. While the focus of the research is specific, the research design stages are transferable and not context dependent and therefore can be applied to different clinical fields. The intention of this paper is to make transparent and explicit the steps in the design and operation of this research and by doing so, offer an objective reflection on each phase of the process to enhance professional understanding of the practicalities of operating a clinical trial.