Granting patients access to their imaging results through an online portal doesn’t significantly add to radiologists’ workloads. In fact, many view the change as a crucial step toward more transparent medicine.
The 21st Century Cures Act, which seeks to bolster interoperability, includes a provision ensuring patients immediate access to their clinical information, including radiology reports. But some experts are wary that instant results may confuse patients and increase the demand on overworked physicians.
New research shared Sunday at the RSNA annual meeting, however, puts some of those concerns to rest.
Out of more than 250 radiologists participating in programs granting patients access to their images, 76% said the practice had no impact on their role. Seventy-one rads viewed web-based image access as a positive step toward transparency while 17 noted workflow adjustments are still needed.
“These results highlight that our patients are tech-savvy, active and informed consumers of healthcare,” Hailey Choi, MD, an assistant professor of Clinical Radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, said during the presentation. “We believe our work provides valuable insight and highlights some need for future workflow modifications and patient-directed tools.”
For the study, Choi and her colleagues set out to assess how often patients actually view their images and how this affects radiologists.
Three academic organizations participated, launching an EHR-based portal at different time points. Shared exams ranged from point-of-care imaging and radiographs to breast exams and endoscopic results, among many others.
Each site first gathered patient-use data between September 2020 through February 2021. Radiology trainees and faculty then responded to an anonymous survey gauging their experiences, which was performed from January-March 2021. Overall, more than 1.6 million radiology exams were included, with 234,000-plus or 14.2% viewed by patients.
More than 63.8% of respondents were never approached with imaging concerns, according to the survey results. And among the 33.9% who were contacted by patients, most said such frequency only reached 3-4 times each year.
A number of radiologists opted to leave free-text comments in their survey. Nearly half mentioned that patients “have a right to healthcare transparency,” followed by concerns regarding patient confusion and anxiety (30% of comments).
Choi noted the study is strengthened by its multi-institutional design and is the first to assess radiologists’ perspective on granting patients access to their images. At the same time, they didn’t survey patients nor assess if image access impacted clinical outcomes.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.