Communication of Urgent or Unexpected Imaging Findings Audit

Free projects are complete and ready to use. Paid projects can also be adapted to your local requirements. This project uses a fixed Lazomis clinical configuration of 42 audit criteria across cohort and imaging context, alert category and report clarity, alert generation and notification, acknowledgement and closed-loop communication, action on the imaging finding, patient communication and digital notification, fail-safe, tracking and unresolved alerts, and handover and continuity. Data collection, dashboards, findings, improvement planning, re-audit and every output are included at no cost.

• Radiologists, reporting radiographers, radiology managers and radiology governance leads
• Referring clinicians in emergency, acute, surgical, outpatient and general practice settings
• Cancer pathway, MDT coordination and results-management teams
• QI, patient safety and clinical governance leads, and trainees needing ARCP-ready evidence

• Measure whether urgent, critical or unexpected significant findings are categorised and clearly highlighted in the report
• Review whether alerts are generated, routed to the correct clinician or service and sent within local timeframes
• Review acknowledgement, closed-loop communication and redirection of misdirected alerts
• Review whether recommended action, cancer pathway referral and follow-up are documented and completed
• Review fail-safe tracking, escalation of unresolved alerts and responsibility after discharge or transfer
• Generate governance-ready and ARCP-ready evidence

• Anonymised case number, imaging provider, requesting setting, reviewer role and data source
• Modality, report type, alert category, finding type, cancer suspicion status and amended-report status
• Notification method, recipient role, notification timing, acknowledgement status and action status
• Patient communication method, digital notification use, fail-safe status and closure status
• 42 fixed audit criteria (Yes / No / Not applicable)
• Free-text learning points

• Live dashboard
• Audit report (Word)
• Executive summary (Word)
• Excel workbook
• PowerPoint presentation
• Conference poster
• ARCP evidence summary

• Designed to use anonymised or pseudonymised audit identifiers.
• This tool supports, but does not replace, clinical judgement.
• Local policy, formulary and specialist advice should be followed.
• Organisations remain responsible for local governance arrangements.
• This tool supports clinical audit and quality improvement. It does not replace clinical judgement, radiology reporting standards, local alert policy, diagnostic governance processes, specialist advice or urgent escalation pathways.
• The tool does not assess diagnostic accuracy and does not decide whether an imaging finding is clinically significant.
• Critical, urgent, unexpected significant or actionable imaging findings should be communicated and escalated according to local policy without waiting for audit activity.
• Patient digital notification may support safety but must not replace required clinician, referrer or service notification where local policy requires direct communication.
• Local radiology alert, fail-safe, cancer pathway, ED, GP, outpatient, inpatient, MDT, discharge, handover, patient communication and diagnostic governance policies should be followed where applicable.
• Use anonymous case identifiers only — never patient-identifiable information.

Supporting guidance from the Lazomis QI Resource Library. Authoritative clinical standards referenced by this project remain separate.

• Patient SafetyDiagnostic Delay: Understanding and Mitigating a Critical Patient Safety RiskDiagnostic delay is a significant patient safety concern across all healthcare settings. This guide explains why timely diagnosis is crucial, details the common factors contributing to delays, and provides actionable strategies for healthcare professionals and teams to mitigate these risks.
• Clinical GovernancePresenting Quality Improvement Findings Effectively at Governance MeetingsUnderstanding how to present Quality Improvement (QI) findings effectively at NHS governance meetings is crucial for driving change and securing organisational buy-in. This guide offers practical advice for clinicians and governance teams to make their presentations impactful and lead to actionable decisions.
• Clinical GovernanceEffective Clinical Governance Meetings: Driving Improvement, Not Just ReportingThis guide helps NHS teams redefine their clinical governance meetings, moving beyond mere reporting to foster proactive discussion, shared learning, and tangible improvement actions for patient safety and quality of care.
• Clinical GovernanceIntegrating Quality Improvement into Clinical Governance FrameworksThis article explores the vital relationship between Quality Improvement (QI) and Clinical Governance within the NHS, demonstrating how they are two sides of the same coin when aiming for continuous, systematic improvement in patient care.