Most patients in the dark about what radiologists do
The role of radiologists in healthcare has long been poorly understood among the general public, but new research presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) shows that even patients who've had imaging exams in the past know little about the profession.
Researchers said the study findings highlight an opportunity for radiologists to educate the public about their role in healthcare.
"We know from previous studies that about half of the general public doesn't even know that radiologists are physicians," said Peter D. Miller, M.D., radiology resident at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. "In our study, only 53.5 percent of patients who had undergone computed tomography (CT) knew that radiologists were physicians."
The roots of the new study trace back to a speech by the late Gary Glazer, M.D., former chair of the Department of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif., and Gold Medal recipient at the 2009 RSNA annual meeting.
"When we saw him speak at RSNA, it inspired us to start our own study at Indiana University School of Medicine," Dr. Miller said.
Dr. Miller and colleagues focused on patients undergoing outpatient CT at the university hospital. During a four-month period, they asked adult patients if they would be willing to meet with a radiologist and complete two brief surveys concerning radiologists and their role in healthcare. Of the 307 patients surveyed, almost half had at least a college education or higher.
Slightly more than 64 percent of respondents reported that they had little or no idea what radiologists do. Only 35.8 percent reported having much understanding, despite the fact that almost 83 percent replied that is was important or very important to know who interprets their imaging exams. Overall experience was reported as very positive by 70 percent of those who met a radiologist versus 53 percent of those who did not meet a radiologist.
"We need to better understand what patients want to know about radiologists in order to improve service and patient care," Dr. Miller said. "In my experience, people who've had the opportunity to interact with radiologists appreciated the chance to talk with them and get their thoughts on the imaging results."
Slightly more than 83 percent of respondents said that they were interested or very interested in receiving a copy of their radiology report. Only 2.7 percent were not interested. More than 62 percent expressed interest in having access to a website with their radiologists' biographies and pictures.
"Many patients would like to know more about the role of radiologists in their healthcare," said the study's senior author, Richard B. Gunderman, M.D., Ph.D., professor and vice chair of radiology at Indiana University. "These findings present an important educational opportunity for radiology practices."
Print and electronic materials, advertising and social media are among the ways that some institutions and organizations have worked to increase awareness of the profession. Changing the infrastructure and work process of radiology departments is another promising avenue to facilitate more patient interaction with the radiologists interpreting their imaging exams.
RSNA 2012 will host the kickoff of "Radiology Cares: the art of patient-centered practice." The RSNA-led, physician-directed initiative was developed to promote:
- Alignment of radiology practice with patients' needs and best interests.
- Optimal patient experience throughout the continuum of their radiologic care.
- Effective communications with patients and other healthcare providers, thus empowering patients to make informed decisions regarding their medical care.
Provided by
Radiological Society of North America
-
Radiologists rank themselves as less than competent on health policy issues
Apr 30, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
ACR task force makes recommendations for improving relationships between radiologists and hospitals
Jun 01, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Radiologists, medical physicists work to make imaging procedures safer
Aug 27, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Self-referral leads to more negative exams for patients
Nov 30, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Radiologists call for national strategy to address medical imaging overuse
Aug 24, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Vermont becomes third US state to legalize assisted suicide
Vermont became on Monday the third US state to legalize physician-assisted suicide.
Other
9 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Food laboratory accuracy remains a concern
Food microbiology laboratories continue to submit false negative results and false positive results on a routine basis. A retrospective study of nearly 40,000 proficiency test results over the past 14 years, presented today ...
Other
14 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Wireless ultrasound transducers help physicians
Siemens has presented the world's first ultrasound system with wireless transducers. The system's transducers, which can be easily operated with one hand, transmit ultrasound images via radio waves to the ...
Other
19 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Flesh-eating disease victim gets prosthetic hands
(AP)—A woman who lost both hands, her left leg and right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease has been fitted with prosthetic hands.
Other
May 18, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill
(AP)—Medical marijuana use in Illinois is now in Gov. Pat Quinn's hands after the state Senate approved legislation.
Other
May 17, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity
Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital ...
New immune system discovered
(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.
The compound in the Mediterranean diet that makes cancer cells 'mortal'
New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer ...
Do salamanders hold the solution to regeneration?
Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have ...
Scientists identify molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease
Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer's disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons ...
Resistance to last-line antibiotic makes bacteria resistant to immune system
Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin are also commonly resistant to antimicrobial substances made by the human body, according to a study in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microb ...