Abstract

Rossiter, C. E. (1972).Brit. J. industr. Med.,29, 407-419. Initial repeatability trials of the UICC/Cincinnati classification of the radiographic appearances of pneumoconioses. The UICC/Cincinnati classification was developed in 1967 as an extension of the ILO 1958 classification, but it was decided not to publish it until evidence on the practicability and on the repeatability of readings using this classification was available.

The scheme proved to be very practicable to use, with each reader able to read 300 to 500 films per day. There were only 0·3% omissions of any part of the complete reading in 42 000 readings.

The results of early trials of the classification show that both inter- and intra-observer variability are very similar to those for the ILO 1958 scheme and also to those reported from many other studies of variability in medical fields. A representative selection of the results of these early trials is presented.

Familiarity with the classification and the standard films improved repeatability considerably, and the differences between practised readers tended to be consistent.