Patient Education could Help Increase Value of Radiology

The Medical Imaging industry is full of various procedures and equipment, such as low-dose Mammography machines, that offer a wide range of services. The relatively new Digital Breast Tomosynthesis exam allows for an innovative, three-dimensional scan to accurately capture breast density, which can assist radiologists in cancer diagnoses. Radiologists who discuss rising technologies with patients can experience improved performance and provide better health outcomes as well.

With the power of the Internet increasing daily, imaging specialists can leverage this innovation to their advantage and educate their patients on the various modalities. It is seen as a reliable source of information, provided the site being visited is reputable and authoritative. This could result in better patient understanding and an increase in the value that radiology brings to clinical care.

Articles hard to understand
According to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, articles published on RadiologyInfo.org, a website collaboratively sponsored by the American College of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America, should be revised in order to make them less convoluted for patients. The majority of patients are not completely literate in health care and the reading levels required to comprehend the articles are far higher than the national average.

“The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deems any text written above a ninth grade level to be too difficult for the average American. By this standard, the overwhelming majority of the articles, judged by these various scales, were difficult,” wrote lead author David Hansberry, Ph.D., of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, in the study published on HealthImaging.com.

Hansberry’s team found that the lowest grade level of any article on RadiologyInfo was around 8.7. Additionally, the average level was between 10th and 14th grade, which surpasses the recommendations established by the American Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health.

Value in educating patients
While every patient does not necessarily read from the same website, radiologists working with Digital Imaging should take matters into their own hands to educate them. Campaigns such as Radiology Cares, which is designed to facilitate communication between patients and radiology professionals, should be used as a model to coordinate patient education.

A practice that works in Diagnostic Radiology could begin producing its own materials with a simplified arrangement of sentences and less complex vocabulary to make information easier to understand. Being able to reach a broader population might help radiology take on a more vital role in health care, as patients would have a better understanding of the position radiologists have within the coordination of diagnoses and treatments between physicians.

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