What Your Patients Are Saying About You

The ACR and one of the most respected research firms in the country have conducted focus groups, surveys, and in-depth interviews with the general public and Capitol Hill staff as the first phase of the “Face of Radiology” branding campaign.

The purpose of this research was to determine the public’s knowledge level of radiologists’ expertise, training, and role in patient care. Research results will be used to craft an effective campaign to inform the public of the importance of these three factors — a radiologist’s education, training, and expertise — to their health care.

What we have learned, although surprising — is not totally unexpected:

• Many people thought that radiologists were not doctors
• Many considered radiologists to be “passionless”
• Many did not think radiologists had to be college-educated

The research suggests that the public has an inaccurate perception of radiologists and their involvement in diagnosing and treating medical conditions. The good news is that the research also shows that these perceptions can change.

A video containing many of the focus group subjects’ views about radiologists and their role in the health care process was recently presented at a meeting of the ACR Board of Chancellors. We thought that it would be helpful for you to see the video and hear what many of your patients may be saying about you.

After watching the video (at the link below), I invite you to post comments regarding steps your facility may be taking to educate patients as to the radiolgist's training and expertise at the local level. Your discussion and feedback are critical to the success of this effort. 

Watch the video now.

Comments

[Mindy M. Horrow, MD, FACR]

At a local or individual level, the best way to educate patients about the role of the radiologist, is to actually spend time and talk to the patient, or at least discuss or send them the results of their study (as in mammography). For instance, in our ultrasound practice we personally check most patients and discuss the findings with them.

[S. Ledbetter]

It is difficult to know if this is generalizable given that it appears to be a single discussion group. If it is, then it's a compelling example of why radiologists need to assume a more active role in interfacing with patients and other physicians in order to raise our profile for the significant contributions we make to multidisciplinary patient care.

[Phillip Shaffer MD]

Or course, some interaction at the local level is necessary. However, much of the perception of us is driven by the national media. There is no chance that I (or we) will be able to convince 51% of the population that we are the imaging experts by talking to individual patients so long as they are seeing cardiologists, orthopedists, and surgeons presented on TV explaining what is on the images. I think it would be an appropriate expenditure of my ACR dues to hire a PR firm to advise us how to get more national media exposure, presenting US as the imaging experts. Has there been any discussion of such an effort?

[Nick Bryan, MD]

Until we, as radiologists, directly interect professionally with our patients, we will not be recognized as physicians by them. Unless a patient actually sees or gets something related to their healthcare from a radiologist, they have no way of knowing who we are or what we do for them. While PR might help our image, it would, at best, be a limited fix, of short duration and/or very expensive. In my opinion, we should be giving our patients 'our product,' which is a copy of their images and our report. The latter is our professional added-value and what makes us a physician to both the referring physician and our patients. Admittedly to undertake this additional step in our practices would not be easy nor without cost. Great care would have to be taken to ensure appropriate communication between all three parties and it would inevitably consume some radiologist' time. Perhaps the ACR could undertake a project to define how radiologists might most effectively directly communicate 'our product' to our patients.

[Nick Bryan, MD]

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 physican 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 intermittant, shortlived and expensive. Perhaps the ACR could initiate a project to define the most effective way for radiologist to communicate directly with our patients -- every day.

[Shawn Farley]

I wanted to provide some background on various aspects of the "Face of Radiology" campaign regarding the research and the plan itself.

An ACR member recently commented on the blog that it seemed like there was only one single discussion group (from which the responses on the video were drawn), so the findings may not be generalizable.

We’d like to clarify that this information is not based on a single discussion group. The responses on the video were drawn from at least two separate focus groups held in Miami (the area of the country with the largest per capita use of medical imaging) and Burlington, VT (among the areas with the lowest per capita use of medical imaging).

The participants were an intentional cross-section of Americans (by income, education, vocation, etc.) and represent the mix of patients you might find everyday in your facility.

The findings were consistent with interviews held in Washington, DC (among a group with more advanced degrees) and a national phone survey, which again was a cross section of Americans. Being able to generalize the information we gathered was very important in designing the research portion of this branding campaign.

Another member asked if there has been any discussing of hiring a PR firm to advise radiologists about how to get more national media exposure, and present them as the imaging experts.

This is a key element of this branding campaign, which is to highlight the role of radiologists by portraying them as a unique deliverer of care through medical imaging. As we are completing the research phase of this campaign, we are now using the data we have collected to determine the most effective way to accomplish this.

We invite you to write into the blog with ways in which your facility/group is working to educate patients as to the education and role of radiologists.

Please keep the posts coming.

[Andrew E. Berkow]

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 to diagnose and treat diseases and injuries." These ads, along with our "Power to Choose" series runs on all local networks the first two weeks of every quarter. They have been very successful in promoting the identity of Radiology and our group.

[John Floyd, MD FACR]

I was an ABIM-certified internist for several years before becoming a radiologists, and I'm not sure back then even I really appreciated all the skills of my radiologists down the hall.

I agree with most of the other comments. We are thinking about putting a large flat screen monitor in our outpatient office waiting room, and in the hospitals if permitted, that would run a loop explaining what is going on back where the radiologists are working. Can the ACR help us with content for this display???

[Shawn Farley]

Dr. Floyd recently asked if the ACR could help with a video to be played in radiologists’ offices or waiting rooms.

That is exactly one of the things that the ACR will be producing as part of the Face of Radiology campaign.

This video will be made available to members as will helpful brochures, PowerPoint presentations and other materials.

Thank you to everyone for writing in.

Please keep offering examples of what your facility is doing to educate patients as to the importance and role of radiologists.

Thanks,

Shawn Farley
Public Relations Manager
American College of Radiology