Did You Know?

Posted 11:07 AM, March 04, 2009, by jaruiz

Public Perception of Radiologists in 1956 and 2008
A 1956 survey by Eastman Kodak revealed that "[l]ess than one in four patients who had received a radiographic or fluoroscopic examination knew that there was a specialized physician--called a radiologist--who was involved in its performance or interpretation" (from "Who Are You? and Who Cares?" (Download file) by Linton, O; Academic Radiology September 2008;15(9):1212).

A 2008 national survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR) entitled "The Face of Radiology" revealed that Americans are still "split down the middle" regarding "whether a radiologist is a person who interprets or a person who administers the scan." During four focus groups in Miami, Florida, and Burlington, Vermont, adults age 35 and older had "general attitudes towards radiologists and radiology" that were "positive" and that reflected "the notion that the radiologist is a trained professional," though respondents were "split as to whether a radiologist is a licensed physician or a technician" (Download file).

Comments

I have always felt that the radiologist has been ignored by the public. People are familiar with the title of an X-ray technician. They may not know the correct title, but they are still aware of our participation within the healthcare system. At times, we protect our radiologists from the public. An example of this is when a patient wants information right away from the technologist or the radiologist. Many are told to return back to their referring physician for their results. I'm not saying that this is the incorrect thing to say, but it sort of takes the radiologist out of the loop. I am not saying people are so ignorant that they do not know the difference between the two doctors either. When a result is given to a patient--whether it's good or bad--by the referring doctor, we are not thinking about where the results are actually coming from. We just want to know if we're OK. Also, radiologic technologists are often thought of as being button pushers and having it very easy. In order for these misperceptions about technologists and radiologists to be changed, we must continue to educate our public.

I like to inform the patients, when they ask about their images, that I take the images, but the radiologist is the doctor who is responsible for reading and giving the report to their doctor. Many are surprised to get this information. The patients I come in contact with are told that their doctors will be looking at their images, or, in other areas, that their doctors are requesting to see their images. The patients are under the impression that their doctors are the only responsible parties that determine the outcome of their exams.

I mean no disrespect to the many doctors who play a huge role in the healing process, but radiologists are not just doctors, especially our Stanford Radiologists. They are men and women with brilliant minds who have played such a humble role for many years. They are truly the trunk of the tree, and the others are the branches. You may say I am biased, and you're correct. We all know that many of the medical services we come in contact with cannot diagnosis without radiology.

I really didn't mean to type so much, but I guess this article hit a button. Now let's spread the word. I will read the rest of the article now. Love what I did read, though. Remember, it's just my opinion.

Thanks!

Comment by: Anonymous at April 2, 2009 02:52 PM