Trimming the hedges: Use and abuse of terms denoting chance in diagnostic radiology reports

Daily practice in diagnostic radiology reporting involves the use of a large number of terms that modify the chance that a described finding is present or absent. High-quality diagnosis is crucially dependent on quantifying and communicating the level of certainty or uncertainty as accurately as possible because thresholds for therapeutic decisions are a function of these uncertainties. Radiologists and clinicians quantified certainties they associate with frequently used terms on a rating scale. Strikingly large ranges were observed, and substantial differences between different specialities were seen. Implications of this phenomenon and possible methods for reducing this ambiguity in diagnostic reporting are discussed