A Study on the Agreement Rate of CT-Scan Interpretation of the Cervical Spine Trauma Patients Between the Reports of Emergency Medicine Residents and Radiologist in "Shohadaye 7Tir Hospital"

The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of agreement between CT scan interpretations of cervical spine trauma patients between emergency medicines and radiology physicians.

This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Shohadaye Haft-e Tir Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The 408 CT scans for patients with cervical spine trauma registered by the Emergency Medicine and Radiology physicians in the second six months of 2017, were compared. The findings were analyzed by SPSS software version 23 using descriptive statistical methods. Kappa coefficient was used to determine the agreement rate of CT scan interpretations of the cervical spine

The mean age of patients referring to cervical spine trauma was 32.47±8.72 years old, 69 (17%) were female and 339 (83%) were male. In 297 CT scans, the interpretation of the Emergency Medicine and Radiology residents was the same, which accounts for725.55% of cases. In the analysis, the Kappa coefficient was 0.612 (p<0.001).

Despite the fact that the emergency medicine is somewhat new in Iran, the emergency medicine specialists could increase their knowledge of relevant branches of medicine such as radiology. Because of the differences in interpretation, it is necessary to have additional education and radiology courses in an emergency medicine residency program. These courses can invite experienced emergency medicine or radiology department physicians.