New Study Helps Radiology Providers Understand Important Patient-Care Practices

Maintaining strong patient-doctor communication is a basic principle in providing effective health care. Yet, with stress and mounting responsibilities it can be easy to forget priorities. A new study published on Academic Radiology’s website this month discovered that resident-driven imaging rounds enhance patient care through a multidisciplinary care and education model. According to the findings, 88 percent of the radiology residents, physicians, and medical students found that the clinical imaging rounds (CIR) strengthened patient care.

Twenty radiology residents and 150 internal medicine physicians and medical students were apart of the 10-month long CIR, which was comprised of four 30-minute weekly sessions held on inpatient wards, and featured presentations on related patient history. Participants of all levels discussed patient demographics, studies, historical backgrounds, and other findings a day before the CIR session, allowing residents to examine cases and go over questions with subspeciality attending radiologists.

Once the 10 months were over, participants filled out an anonymous survey evaluating their experiences. Seventeen of the radiology residents and 45 of the medical students and physicians completed the survey. One hundred percent of physicians responded positively about the CIR program, and 93.2 percent said that it helped the radiologist get to know the patient better — allowing them to perform a thorough assessment and diagnosis. Overall, the vast majority of participants reported that the program helped them improve their consulting and patient management skills.

It’s important to take into consideration that no patients were actually involved in this initial trial of CIR. “The next phase of CIR will include reviewing imaging results directly with patients and their families at the bedside,” the study authors write. “This is another opportunity to demonstrate radiology’s added value.”