Availability of a final abdominopelvic CT report before emergency department disposition: risk-adjusted outcomes in patients with abdominal pain

Objective To determine whether availability of a final radiologist report versus an experienced senior resident preliminary report prior to disposition affects major care outcomes in emergency department (ED) patient presenting with abdominal pain undergoing abdominopelvic CT. Materials and methods This single-institution, IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant retrospective cohort study included 5019 ED patients with abdominal pain undergoing abdominopelvic CT from October 2015 to April 2019. Patients were categorized as being dispositioned after either an experienced senior resident preliminary report (i.e., overnight model) or the final attending radiologist interpretation (i.e., daytime model) of the CT was available. Multivariable regression models were built accounting for demographic data, clinical factors (vital signs, ED triage score, laboratory data), and disposition timing to analyze the impact on four important patient outcomes: inpatient admission (primary outcome), readmission (within 30 days), second operation within 30 days, and death. Results In the setting of an available experienced senior resident preliminary report, timing of the final radiologist report (before vs. after disposition) was not a significant multivariable predictor of inpatient admission ( p = 0.63), readmission within 30 days ( p = 0.66), second operation within 30 days ( p = 0.09), or death ( p = 0.63). Unadjusted event rates for overnight vs daytime reports, respectively, were 37.2% vs. 38.0% (inpatient admission), 15.9% vs. 16.5% (30-day readmission), 0.65% vs. 0.3% (second operation within 30 days), and 0.85% vs. 1.3% (death). Conclusion Given the presence of an experienced senior resident preliminary report, availability of a final radiology report prior to ED disposition did not affect four major clinical care outcomes of patients with abdominal pain undergoing abdominopelvic CT.