Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Report Purpose
DIR Interactive Reports allow you to analyze DIR measure data for your participating facilities using customized criteria. The reports can be a useful tool to identify outliers, find missing data and gaps in data transmissions, and highlight other patterns for further investigation.
Access and Help Features
Log in to the NRDR portal and, in the left menu under Interactive Reports, select CT Standardized Dose Index Report to access the report’s individual tabs: Exam Search, Scatterplot Over Time, Boxplot by Scanner, Boxplot by Radlex Playbook ID (RPID), PET/CT Summary of Data Submitted, and PET/CT Exam Search Index.
Several help features available in the upper left corner help you to get the most out of the DIR reports.
1. The About this Report tab provides insight into the reports’ measures and calculations.
2. A Help link brings up an overlay screen with detailed information about the report's functionality.
3. Hover over the information icon to obtain details about maximizing the report’s analysis capabilities.
4. The Read about this report link highlights important report features in a Knowledge Base article
5. The Feedback link provides an opportunity for you to let the ACR team know what you think about the report and how we could make it more valuable.
To retrieve report data, select the Exam Search tab and then a Corporate Account and at least one Facility (click Apply at the bottom of the dropdown box). The default date range for the data displayed is the past 14 days. Use the Facility and Exam Dates From and To filters to define the data returned.
Report Features
The report is comprised of six tabs offering different views of data submitted to the DIR. Each report tab is described below.
Exam Search
Upon selecting the Corporate Account, Facility, and date range, you can search for performance data using the filters listed below. The selections made in the Exam Search tab carry over to the other report tabs.
Age Group
Query by - determines whether the RPID / Study description filter displays standardized RPID exam names or the facility’s Study Descriptions
Body Part - restricts the RPID / Study filter to exams for the specified body part(s)
RPID / Study Description - lists the available studies by either RPID or Study Description, as determined by the Query by parameter setting
Scanner
The sample CT Exam Search report below shows the exams with Study Dates between July 25 and August 7, 2022, for RPIDs associated with CT Abdomen. The Exam Search table displays individual exam data for CTDIvol, Size-Specific Dose Estimate (SSDE), and Dose Length Product (DLP) measures. The exams shown in red text are those sent from secondary capture images.
The bar chart to the right of the table summarizes the distribution of exams by RPID / Study Description, with the total number of distinct RPIDs / Study Descriptions listed in the title. Use the Query By parameter to determine whether to show RPIDs or Study Descriptions. Hover over a CTDIvol, SSDE, or DLP measure to display detailed information about the exam. Click on an exam to display a list of irradiation events for the exam as shown in the screenshot below.
Scatterplot Over Time
This report helps identify unusual patterns or outliers for DIR dose indices over time. You can plot either the maximum or total dose index for CTDIvol, DLP, or SSDE.
The following example illustrates different features and components of the scatterplot report using the following criteria.
DIR Measure: CTDIVol Max across Scans
Exam Dates From 05/1/22 to 06/05/22
Query by: RPID
RPIDs: All
Scanner: Multiple
Selecting a specific exam from the scatterplot will bring up a pop-up box with exam details and highlight the exam in the Scanner Statistics table.
You can also view specific scanner performance by selecting the scanner of interest in the data table.
Boxplot by Scanner
The Boxplot by Scanner report compares scanner performance data for a specific DIR measure for one or more Facilities. Data can be aggregated by device name, model, or manufacturer. In the example below, data are aggregated by model.
Note: Changing the Scanner Aggregation parameter from Device to Model may provide a more useful comparison by aggregating data to the model level, as different scanner models may require different dose levels to obtain the same quality diagnostic image.
Boxpot by RPID
This report graphs the distribution of exam doses by RPID or Facility Study Description. Blue marks above and below the horizontal "whiskers" (black lines) indicate exams that may be considered outliers. The example below shows results for Abdomen Pelvis studies.
PET CT Summary of Data Submitted
This report provides summary statistics for facilities' PET CT data submitted to the DIR. The example below shows a pie chart of exams by scanner and bar charts of exam counts by Description and by Date added to the registry, as well as a table of exam counts by the facility. The pie and bar charts may be used as report filters. Click on a bar in the Exam Count by Date chart to filter the remaining charts and table to only show exams for that date. To remove the filter, simply click outside the chart or table.
You can change the level of aggregation in the Exam Count by Date bar chart by clicking on collapse/expand icons along the y-axis. By default, the chart displays the number of exams by day. Hovering along the top of the y-axis reveals collapse icons [-] next to the month, quarter, and year. Click on an icon to change the level of detail to the corresponding level. In the example below, the mouse has highlighted the collapse icon at the month level.
The level of detail at the bottom of the chart changes to month. An expand icon is now available next to month. You can drill down to show data by day, or collapse icons at the top will raise the level of detail to show volume by quarter or year.
PET CT Exam Search
This report is a useful way to query PET CT Exams using a variety of criteria. The report below shows the exams with study dates between Jan.1 and June 22, 2020. The individual exam data includes the CTDIvol, SSDE, and DLP measures for each exam.
To export exam data
Click just above the table column headers.
Click the Download icon, in the bottom right corner.
Select Crosstab.
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