Back in the day, radiology departments were simpler. After obtaining an x-ray, the technologist would hand off the images to the radiologist. In the process, the radiologist might ask about the technologist's family, how Aunt Lucy was faring or how that day's commute had been. Maybe a senior technologist would walk by, glance at the pinned up images and offer the junior technologist some advice on how to improve the positioning of the patient. The primary care doctor and the junior radiologist might chat about the patient over their lunchtime tennis game.
Not to say it wasn't busy — it was. But in a smaller, simpler environment, informal relationships were easier to maintain. Despite their informality, these relationships, and the communication that went with them, served as a powerful means to improve patient care, according to Stanford radiologist David Larson, MD.
Fast forward to today. At a busy, top-tier hospital, radiologists might not know their colleagues, much less the technologists or referring physicians. All images remain on computers — no need to pin anything up for public viewing, or to receive unsolicited comments, or advice.
The many technological improvements, as well as the scale and speed of modern radiology, have inadvertently thwarted communication, Larson and colleagues write in a paper recently published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Here's Larson:
In radiology, we’re in the business of information. Everything we do from the time that somebody even thinks of a question, to the time they ask for an imaging study, to when we then interpret the images, is really all about information.
So we need to be really good at moving that information efficiently and effectively, which means we need to be good at communicating... But in many ways, we're thinking as if we still operate in a small, simple environment, even though we're operating in a large, complex environment.
For example, Larson said, in addition to having the images, it's also important for radiologists to know about a patient's history. He said information that someone runs 20 miles a week, for example, makes a big difference when interpreting an image of a foot. "I have been in the situation where I looked at the study and was about to call it normal. Then I looked at the history, looked back at the study, and found the very subtle stress fracture," Larson said. "A good history makes that possible."
Larson pointed out that Stanford is continuously improving its own communication processes. For example, the hospital recently hired a reading room assistant, what Larson referred to as an "air traffic controller," to direct queries and facilitate communication among physicians.
Previously: Despite genetic advances, detection still key in breast cancer, Using 3-D technology to screen for breast cancer and Better communication between caregivers reduces medical errors, study finds
Photo by Jill Carlson
