Do Radiologists Walk the Talk?

There ’s a disparity between radiologists’ commitment to providing strong patient care, and the number of patients who feel they’re receiving adequate attention. Although many radiologists want to maintain an open rapport with their patients, an overwhelming workload often hinders them from engaging in high level communication with their clients. A newsurveypublished in Radiology found that there ’s a great disconnect in the campaign to promote patient care values, and what is actually being practiced.The study ’s lead author, Jennifer L. Kemp, MD, and her team surveyed 694 members of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) on an array of patient care questions.  They found that 611, or 89 percent,believedthat “promoting awareness of radiology’s role in patients’ overall healthcare is important to how they practice.” Yet, despite maintaining these standards, only 31 percent of the respondents “regularly promote awareness of radiology’s role in patients’ overall healthcare.” More so, only 2 1 percent said that their regular duties include delivering image results in person.The study determined that factors such as time constraints and demanding responsibilities impede radiologists from engaging full-spectrum, patient-centered communication. In fact, 421 members, or 73 percent, claimed that “time and/or workload frequently prevented them communicating directly with patients.”Despite these disparaging results, according to the study, respo...
Source: radRounds - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: blogs