Improving Patient Safety by Standardizing Procedures for CT Contrast Administration

A U.S. healthcare system organization has implemented a computed tomography (CT) contrast media policy to help improve patient safety.

A contrast agent is typically used during CT procedures to improve the visibility of internal bodily structures. However, there are mild to severe risks associated with its use, particularly if a patient is allergic to it. "Before this initiative was launched, there was variation in the practices across the healthcare system for the use of contrast media during CT,” said Kathryn McCollough, M.S., at Partners Healthcare System (Boston, MA, USA). "The group believed that the CT contrast media policies and procedures could be standardized to improve patient safety,” she said.

"One improvement was the creation of a standardized process for communicating and documenting contrast reaction information in the patient's electronic medical record. This allows radiologists, technologists, and nurses to easily enter and check patient CT contrast reaction information across all Partners hospitals, which has greatly enhanced patient safety,” said Kathryn. "The CT Contrast Media Administration Policy we created was approved by a system-wide quality and patient safety committee and is consistently being used as a guideline for CT contrast media administration. It gives us a standard approach for screening patients, responding to contrast media reactions, and tracking patients with a history of contrast reactions. The policy has been well received across the system and has had a significant impact on patient safety, which is a top priority at Partners Healthcare System.”

An article about the implementation was published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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