3412 Are NHS resident doctors requesting CT scans appropriately? A two-cycle audit assessing compliance with Royal College guidelines

Introduction The appropriate use of CT scans is essential for patient safety and effective healthcare delivery. This audit aimed to evaluate whether resident doctors in the NHS are requesting CT scans in line with the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines, and to assess the impact of educational interventions on improving compliance. Method A retrospective audit was conducted in two cycles. Cycle 1 involved reviewing CT scan requests made by resident doctors (up to ST2 level) for patients aged 80+ fin August,2024. The compliance with RCR guidelines was assessed on several criteria, including presenting complaint, clinical scenario, scan indication, prior tests, and background information. Following educational interventions such as posters and teaching sessions, Cycle 2 was conducted in October 2024, using the same criteria and assessment tools. Results Cycle 2 demonstrated significant improvement in the documentation of presenting complaints (69.35% to 90.77%), scan indications (69.35% to 83.08%), and previous tests (38.71% to 64.62%). Request and imaging details showed high compliance (100%) in both cycles. However, documentation of examination findings showed only a modest improvement (40.32% to 49.23%), indicating an area requiring further focus. Conclusion(s) Educational interventions including posters in the wards led to substantial improvements in resident doctors’ compliance with RCR guidelines, especially in documenting key clinical information. To sustain these improvements, integrating checklists into the CT request process and ongoing teaching are recommended.