I believe that success will necessarily require DIRECT COMMUNICATION between the Radiologist and/or the radiologic technologist and the patient!
1. On all fluroscopy, the Radiologist should take a few minutes to explain the exam; that "he or she" will interpret the exam and promptly send a report to the referring physician.
2. On all exams where only the technologist is present, the technologist should explain what is necessary and tell the patient that one of the radiologists in the group will interpret the exam and send a report to the referring physician, and call the physician if indicated.
This practice should be done professionally and tactfully, and leave NO DOUBT who is interpreting the exam; and when possible, relate that the previous exams will be reviewed and compared!
Obviously, this will require more time than is currently spent in some practices; but I believe the patient DESERVES this time and effort! Unfortunately, I have been made aware of increasing 'assembly-line' medicine; and not infrequently, the patient only is seen by the PA!
I believe that other measures can be helpful in educating the patient, but communication is number one. I certainly was impressed during my forty-one years of practice, that one cannot count on the clinician to do the 'educating'; all too frequently, they allow the patient to believe that "they" interpreted the exam.
Dewey L. Barton, M.D.