Patient photos help docs read CT scans better

[MsKrispyKreme]

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28002133/

But an intriguing Israeli study found adding photos of patients' faces to the file made these doctors more meticulous when looking at the X-rays. They reported more details and said they felt more empathy for patients who were otherwise strangers.

"Once you see that this is a human being ... the attitude changes," Hadas-Halpern said. "You see this is a young woman, an old suffering man. It adds something."

 

[schan]

Hope that this comes to the US in some way eventually (overcoming our stringent privacy laws of course)

 

[Goober]

If every case had a photo on file with the paper work, eventually you would treat them all the same as you did before when you had no pictures. Other potential negatives are that biases could creep into your reports based on your prejudices. This is unlikely but possible. Still an interesting study.

 

[MossPoh]

I'd be interested in reading the actual study. 15 radiologists and 318 patients isn't a massive number. I can see how showing a picture will add a human element for at least a little bit, but who knows how it'd change in the long term with more radiologists and patients, and in different cultures. What about someone that lives in a high population density and sees thousands of faces a day versus someone that lives in a small midwest town and doesn't. What about preconceived notions by looks, especially in conjunction with a crap hx. I also wonder if their productivity changed for better or worse between the two.

I don't wonder enough to look up the article or start my own study, but more of a "hmmmmm" as I sit here with my beer.

 

[Neuronix]

I'd be interested in reading the actual study.

I would be as well. Shame on the AP for not reporting where the results are or will be published. A pubmed and Google Scholar search with the name of the author cited did not come up with the article. As such, I can't comment on the findings.

 

[scottyT]

I would be as well. Shame on the AP for not reporting where the results are or will be published. A pubmed and Google Scholar search with the name of the author cited did not come up with the article. As such, I can't comment on the findings.

Looks like it was an abstract/presentation at RSNA 2008. Here is the link: http://rsna2008.rsna.org/event_display.cfm?em_id=6008880. I can't find any full publication of this study.

 

[Neuronix]

Ugh, abstracts are very lightly peer-reviewed and should not be news media fodder... Thanks for the tip though.