Radiology reporting—where does the radiologist's duty end?

In the USA, and more recently in Europe, an increasing onus is being placed on radiologists to ensure reports are communicated to the referring clinician, particularly when an urgent or unexpected diagnosis is made. In the UK, the position is less clear, but this is likely to change after the 2004 publication of The Manual of Cancer Measures by the Department of Health in England. Delayed communication is a major cause of radiological litigation in the USA, and legal rulings place great responsibility on radiologists. So far, little evidence shows that UK radiologists are altering their practice. A 1997 survey showed that communication failure was the fourth most common primary allegation in malpractice lawsuits against US radiologists, and that 60% of communication-related claims resulted from failure to highlight an urgent or unexpected abnormal result.