Radiographic Features Useful for Establishing Patient Identity from Improperly Labeled Portable Chest Radiographs

Increasing Rate of Detection of Wrong-Patient Radiographs: Use of Photographs Obtained at Time of Radiography

“…In that study, Bhalla et al [10] discussed various radiographic features such as the following for establishing patient identity: …characteristic location and configuration of surgical material, fractures, and dense parenchymal/pleural scars with or without calcifications…. However, they also recognized that most patients lack characteristic surgical and pathologic features and suggested that some anatomic features such as the transverse processes of the first thoracic vertebra and the adjoining tubercles of the first ribs and the spinous processes may help radiologists to correctly identify patients. However, given the large volume of imaging studies that clinical radiologists encounter on a daily basis, use of such a method during radiograph interpretation would be onerous.…”

“…To our knowledge, only one published study [10] has addressed the problem of establishing patient identity from improperly labeled portable chest radiographs. In that study, Bhalla et al [10] discussed various radiographic features such as the following for establishing patient identity:

…characteristic location and configuration of surgical material, fractures, and dense parenchymal/pleural scars with or without calcifications….

However, they also recognized that most patients lack characteristic surgical and pathologic features and suggested that some anatomic features such as the transverse processes of the first thoracic vertebra and the adjoining tubercles of the first ribs and the spinous processes may help radiologists to correctly identify patients.…”

Patient involvement in reducing errors during X‐ray imaging in an orthopedic outpatient clinic

“…According to Tridandapani et al, obtaining facial and chest photographs simultaneously with portable chest and abdominal radiographs can detect mislabeling errors in an ICU environment . A study by Bhalla et al, investigated the use of radiographic features such as pleural scars or calcifications to establish patient identity and to reduce identification errors with portable chest X‐rays . However, these approaches to identifying patients using other radiologic features cannot be easily applied in the orthopedic field because of the complexity and large volume of X‐ray orders.…”

“…12 A study by Bhalla et al, investigated the use of radiographic features such as pleural scars or calcifications to establish patient identity and to reduce identification errors with portable chest X-rays. 13 However, these approaches to identifying patients using other radiologic features cannot be easily applied in the orthopedic field because of the complexity and large volume of X-ray orders. In the current study, patient identification errors themselves were not common in the orthopedic outpatient clinic, but there were other types of errors such as left to right, sequence, duplication, and date of examination errors.…”

Integrating Patient Digital Photographs with Medical Imaging Examinations

“…The radiographs or the scout/localizer images (in the case of CT examinations) from the new and old study may show some obvious differences particularly if the body habitus of the patients in the two comparative examinations are quite different or if there are different medical support hardware between the two studies [5]. However, when the two imaged individuals have similar physiques, then determining that the old and new studies do not belong to the same patient can be challenging.…”