Abstract Background/Aims Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a medical emergency with a high risk of irreversible visual loss if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Ultrasound plays a critical role in diagnosis. Guidelines and studies recommend structured reporting with GCAPS scoring and arterial measurements to ensure diagnostic accuracy and support continuity of care. A local baseline audit revealed significant variability and incomplete reporting, prompting a quality improvement initiative. Aims To improve the consistency and quality of GCA ultrasound reporting through the introduction of a standardised reporting proforma and targeted staff education, aiming to increase documentation rates of key diagnostic features and arterial intima media thickness measurements. Methods A two-cycle clinical audit was performed at a tertiary rheumatology service at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. Cycle 1 (May 2025): Retrospective review of 20 ultrasound reports assessing documentation of halo sign, compression sign, bilateral findings, GCAPS, and arterial measurements. Intervention: A structured reporting proforma was developed and introduced, accompanied by an education session for clinicians. Cycle 2 (September 2025): Re-audit of 14 ultrasound reports post-intervention. Data were presented at governance meetings to facilitate feedback and drive improvement. Results In Cycle 1, documentation rates were suboptimal, particularly for arterial measurements (0-30%) and structured scoring. Following the introduction of the proforma, documentation of arterial measurements improved substantially across all branches. Parietal, frontal, and common temporal artery measurements exceeded 75% documentation rates in Cycle 2. Documentation of bilateral findings and compression sign also improved. However, halo sign documentation decreased slightly, and GCAPS documentation remained lower than desired. The structured reporting template led to substantial improvements in documentation of arterial measurements and some diagnostic features. Halo sign and GCAPS documentation require further emphasis, suggesting the need for additional education and potentially mandatory fields within the template. Improvements are likely to support faster and more accurate diagnosis, aligning with national best practice. Conclusion A simple intervention—introducing a structured reporting proforma and delivering targeted training—produced measurable improvements in GCA ultrasound documentation quality. Ongoing reinforcement and refinement will be essential to sustain and build on these gains. Disclosure C. Ramakrishna: None. S. Calik: None. L. Sammut: None.
Ramakrishna et al. (Wed,) studied this question.