Certainty Language Use In Pediatric Radiology: A Single Institution Analysis

The authors aimed to characterize the use of diagnostic certainty phrases (DCPs) among pediatric radiologists in a large academic institution, as prior research indicated variability in DCP usage in adult radiology. Their analysis of 309,751 pediatric imaging reports revealed that 20.9% contained DCPs, with higher usage associated with certain imaging modalities, patient demographics, and radiologist experience. The findings highlight significant variability in DCP usage, suggesting a need for standardized reporting to reduce uncertainty in the clinical diagnostic process.