Handling of Outside Trauma Studies: A Survey of Program Directors

Trauma patients are usually transferred to accepting teaching institutions without written radiologic reports, which generally do not meet either American College of Radiology or American Cancer Society guidelines. Approximately half of trauma transfer patients are managed solely on the basis of radiology resident interpretation, exposing residents to medicolegal liability. There is no consensus among programs regarding the optimal handling of these studies. This issue is in critical need of attention from the radiology community to enhance timeliness of communication and patient safety, and to protect radiology residents.