Clinical Reporting of Pneumonia Chest Radiographs by Filipino Radiographers: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study
Christopher John Tangian, Sherihan Bentangan, Mosphira Abdullah, Jocel-Ann Licup, Mark Alipio
Received: 13 September 2025; Revised: 12 October 2025; Accepted: 10 November 2025; Published: 16 November 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.66074/1Z2X3C4V
Abstract
Pneumonia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and chest radiography remains central to diagnosis. Global radiologist shortages have renewed interest in radiographer reporting, yet evidence from low and middle income countries is scarce. This diagnostic accuracy study assessed the performance of Filipino radiographers in reporting pneumonia chest radiographs against a radiologist reference standard. Ten registered radiographers from hospitals and diagnostic centers in Iligan City interpreted a set of 30 anonymised chest radiographs that included 10 normal and 20 abnormal images, with pneumonia and other pathologies. Sensitivity, specificity, and overall agreement were calculated for all cases and for pneumonia cases alone, and compared with radiologist readings. For all cases, mean sensitivity was 94.49%, specificity 39.77%, and agreement 59.67%. For pneumonia cases, mean sensitivity was 91.18%, specificity 55.55%, and agreement 67.00%. Sensitivity did not differ significantly from radiologists, while specificity and agreement did. Filipino radiographers showed strong ability to detect abnormality but difficulty in classifying normal studies, indicating the need for structured reporting education and formal role development.
Keywords: chest radiography, diagnostic accuracy, pneumonia, radiographer reporting
Author Information: Iligan Medical Center College, Iligan, Philippines; [email protected]
Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2026