A reporter-targeted approach to reducing the use of the term "Superficial femoral vein" in ultrasound reports for deep vein thrombosis

ABSTRACT Background The term “superficial femoral vein” is felt to be potentially misleading and dangerous in the context of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limb, with the preferred term now being “femoral vein.” The purpose of this work was to identify a means of reducing its use in reports of lower limb sonographic scans for DVT. Methods A retrospective search of the reports for all lower limb sonographic scans for the detection of DVT in 2011 was performed using the Radiology Information System to identify the baseline rate of use of the term. Nontargeted and subsequently targeted e‐mails were then sent to reporters of such sonographic scans over a 6‐month follow‐up period, and the results were reevaluated. Results The baseline rate of use of the term was 17% before any intervention. It decreased to 10% following nontargeted intervention, and to 6% following targeted e‐mail intervention. There were no cases of patients coming to harm as a result of the use of the term during the study period. Conclusions A simple and inexpensive system of e‐mails to reporters resulted in a decline in the rate of use of the misleading term “superficial femoral vein.” © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 42:472–474, 2014