Communicating
I believe that success will necessarily require DIRECT COMMUNICATION between the Radiologist and/or the radiologic technologist and the patient! ...More>
Interacting with Patient and Physician
The Patient--not the technology--was always at the center of my practice paradigm. The wonderful technology that developed and grew during my 35 years of practice... More>
Getting the Word Out
I. Media
- As the first full-time radiologist and the first one to live in the community, there was a front page article in the town paper, with photograph, announcing my arrival. The article gave a mini-biography and therefore those who read the paper knew this new “radiologist” was an M.D., and a doctor who had done specialty training in radiology.
- At various times over the years the hospital would run ads in the paper called “Meet the Experts” featuring doctors on the staff and giving their medical credentials and a brief biography. At other times, a feature article entitled “Ask the Experts” would run in which the doctor would answer a patient’s question. I participated a number of times.
- Whenever a new modality would arrive, such as ultrasound, mammography, CT, etc. a reporter would interview me and a large article, with pictures, would appear in the paper.
- About once a year, the paper would put out a “Who’s Who in Business” for the town. I would almost always put an ad in which would include a picture of myself (and partner, when I had one) with our names, including M.D., and specialty, etc.
- Radio: Over the years there were a number of opportunities to be a “guest expert” on the local radio station.
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Patient Relations
The ideal and more thorough, systematic change would be as follows: Every patient presenting for CT or MR would be introduced to a radiologist directly.
Ideally the radiologist would be situated in a reading room with full PACS access, near at least 2 interview rooms (or 1 per scanner). Every single cross sectional imaging patient would be brought to an interview room before the study and before changing.
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Training
In my community hospital practice, there have a number of occasions over the past 25 years where there have been various public forums, frequently sponsored by my hospital, where this subject has surfaced. In my daily interaction with patients (as an interventional radiologist), I have also crossed this "conversation path" innumerable times.
I have always responded to these situations in a similar manner. I like to educate these patients and the public on this matter with the following words:
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Communicating
For my entire career, 26 years as of now, I have been in a practice that actually sees each patient for most exams. For ultrasound exams we do a briefer scan after the technologist and this gives us a chance to speak to the patient and give them results. In mammography, each diagnostic patient sees the radiologist for results. This is done, of course, in a private setting as we have very large dressing rooms where we can discuss benign results with them and hand them their FDA/Birads form. Even plain films, if emergent, are discussed with patients, especially if we need more history.
Peter Dunner, M.D.
Washington Radiology Associates
Interaction
Radiologists will not be recognized as physicians by our patients unless we directly interact with them. Unless patients actually see a radiologist or receive something from a radiologist directly related to their healthcare, they have no way of knowing who we are. In my opinion, we should be giving our patients 'our product,' which is a copy of their images and our report. The former is easy to do electronically and the latter is our added-value to both the referring physician and the patient. Admittedly it would not be easy to add this step to our practices. It would require careful planning to ensure appropriate communication between radiologist, referring physician and patient and it would definitely consume radiologist time. However, it would directly educate patients about radiology and radiologists at a time when they are most likely to pay attention -- when they are concerned about their own healthcare. While PR might help a little, it would intermittent, short-lived and expensive. [I am told that his practice does already send letters, etc. explaining the education and role of the radiologist, etc.]
Posted by: Nick Bryan, MD | February 17, 2008 at 03:50 AM
TV Ads
This is why our group runs a series of TV ads with the emphasis "I'm a Radiologist, your Medical Doctor specializing in the use of imaging..." More