LAUSR

Key Points Question What types of recommendations are contained in radiology reports, and how often are recommended follow-up actions carried out in the primary care setting? Findings In this quality improvement study including 598 radiology reports at a single academic center, a taxonomy of recommended actions, time frames, and contingencies was developed. Application of this taxonomy showed that 1 of 7 recommendations were associated with failures to carry them out, and factors related to the report, patients, and clinicians were associated with successful vs unsuccessful follow-up. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that no follow-up on action-requiring abnormalities represents an important patient safety and malpractice risk; structured reports may help codify recommended actions and identify lack of follow-up.