Enhancing communication between foundation doctors and radiologists: a quality improvement project

Facilitating radiological imaging for patients is an essential task for foundation year (FY) doctors. Achieving competence in this task can significantly enhance patient management. We evaluated the confidence and skills of FY doctors in facilitating radiological imaging before and after introduction of formal training. Twenty surgical FYs working at a large teaching hospital were surveyed to evaluate their baseline level of competence in booking and discussing imaging with radiology colleagues. Parameters were measured on a Likert scale, including confidence in discussing requests and satisfaction of their own performance following discussions with radiologists. Eight radiology consultants were surveyed to evaluate their opinions on FYs' communication and established areas for improvement. A teaching session was then delivered to improve communication skills. Furthermore, Previous investigation results, Answer you need from the scan, Clinical status and story, Crucial: how urgent is the scan, Safety (PACCSS) poster was introduced to remind the FYs of the salient information required when discussing imaging. One month after the intervention, the initial participants were resurveyed. Based on a 10-point Likert scale, the FYs demonstrated a mean improvement in self-reported confidence (2.1 +/- 1.1, p<0.01), and in satisfaction of own performance after a discussion (1.7 +/- 1.1, p<0.01). We identified deficiencies in surgical FY doctors' confidence and skills in facilitating radiological imaging. There was a demonstrable benefit with focused training in improving these skills. This could potentially provide significant benefits in patient care and management. Interspecialty communication should be introduced into undergraduate and postgraduate educational curriculum.