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 was exciting and challenging, but the end product was not the technology itself--which could be quite seductive--but was welcomed as giving me the opportunity to better serve my patients and referring physicians.
I considered Radiology a "primary service"--not an "ancillary service"--and approached my practice as being a Consultant--not an M.D. Technician. I always felt that I was in a better position to explain a mammogram, a GI Series, a CT scan, or a thyroid scan to the patient than was the referring physician--and my physicians welcomed my doing that. It took time but it was extremely satisfying to me as a physician and I feel it was satisfying to my patients and to my referring physicians.
My small rural hospital in Marion, North Carolina in a series of articles entitled "Radiology at Large: General Diagnostic Radiology, A Search for Specifics" published in Radiology 1994: 193(3)45A-48A.
The article illustrates how many radiologists elected not to sit in an isolated environment and "let the doctor talk to the patient"--or, in cases, "let the technician talk to the patient". Some of us elected to assume our obligation as a physician and talk with the patients ourselves.
I also wrote an article for Academic Radiology, regarding radiology and our obligation as physicians to our specialty, our referring physicians and our patients. It was entitled "A Walk through the Mirror" and was published Academic Radiology Vol.4, No.4, April 1997, pages 314-321.
If some radiologists would like to be have more patient interaction but may not know where to start, I would recommend reading those articles.
I applaud the ACR for beginning to realize that the survival of our specialty depends on radiologists interacting with physicians and patients.
In this digital imaging age and high speed transmission of images, our specialty could easily become the first true medical "commodity"--with images sent to radiologists in other countries who will interpret studies at considerably lower prices.
The thing that a Fellowship Trained Radiologist in India can not do that an American or Canadian Radiologist can do is interact directly with the referring physician and the patient. That, in my humble opinion, was where the greatest personal satisfaction lay in my wonderful 35 year practice of Radiology.
Luther Barnhardt MD, FACR, Emeritus