Radiology request forms: are they adequately filled by clinicians?

Abstract

The role of the radiologist in a medical team is to help in making a diagnosis that will aid in an effective and concise management of the patient. This can only be achieved if the clinicians give a detailed clinical history through a properly filled request form. This study was conducted to assess the adequacy of filled request forms in a tertiary health institution.One hundred and forty four request forms with 145 requests for computed tomography scan (CT scan) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) received at the diagnostic centre in a teaching hospital were studied for completeness. There were 138 (95.2%) CT scan and 7 (4.8%) MRI requests. Only the surname and examination requested were filled in all cases. About 95.8% of the