Should radiologists talk to patients? MRI and CT imaging is marketed directly to consumers. Radiologists speak to anxious patients during scans. Leading MRI and CT radiologist discusses negative and positive factors of talking to patients about diagnostic study results. Who should radiologists talk to about imaging studies?

Should radiologists talk to patients? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Radiologists are reducing the pain of uncertainty for patients who just had an MRI or CT scan. Why can't you talk to your radiologist? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Video interview with leading expert in radiology, CT and MRI specialist. Mammography is a radiology field where radiologists usually talk to patients about the result of mammography or breast MRI. But many factors affect the clinical meaning of MRI or CT scan study for the patient. Radiology results are just one input. Ordering clinician knows and integrates all inputs to have a meaningful discussion with patients about what results of CT or MRI signify for the patient. Medical Second Opinion on MRI or CT scan is required in most situations. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. Medical Second Opinion confirms that CT findings and MRI findings are correct and meaningful. Medical Second Opinion also helps to choose the best treatment strategy for cancer and heart disease based on MRI, CT and all clinical information. Seek medical Second Opinion on cancer and heart disease and be confident that your treatment is the best. MRI medical Second Opinion. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. CT medical Second Opinion. Should radiologists talk to patients directly? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. As a follow-up question, MRIs and CTs are becoming widely available to patients and marketed to consumers. So does that bring an opportunity for more direct consultations of patients to radiologists? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Maybe radiologists should now bypass a number of physicians that are traditionally inserted along the value chain for somebody who is scheduled to do CT or MRI? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. This is the consumer-driven healthcare culture. Can direct contact between radiologists and patients be beneficial for the practice of radiology? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. CT and MRI specialist, Tufts Medical Center. That is a very hot topic in the United States right now. Radiologists are talking about getting more involved in direct patient communication. Radiologists historically communicated directly with patients in mammography field. So with mammography the decision of "do nothing" or to get further evaluation of patient's breast, is up to the radiologist. The radiologist is responsible for communicating that decision to the patient. So that there has been a lot of talk about extending direct communication between radiologists and patients to other areas. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. I have a problem with that strategy. Many radiologic findings need to be placed in the overall clinical context of the patient. Only then doctors know how to manage patients. So the lab tests, the physical exam, the presenting symptoms - all need to be taken into the account to decide what to do about the radiology finding. Perfect example is MRI of the spine for back disease back pain. MRI of the spine detects all kinds of abnormalities, many of them not related to the patient's symptoms. So that is where the careful physical examination is required. Talking to the patient is mandatory to know whether these MRI findings in the back, in the discs, or in the nerves need to be treated or not. It is a great idea theoretically. But the way radiologist can add most to the value chain is by talking more directly to doctors who are ordering the exam. Radiologist can help ordering doctors to put the findings in context. Sometimes the ordering doctors may have difficulty interpreting the reports. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. And that is where radiologists can add value to that patient's care. Radiologists should communicate directly, verbally with the patient's doctors. The problem communicating with the patients directly is it can create more confusion than clarity in their mind. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. So the traditional way of team interaction in patient care remains the golden standard and would be so in the foreseeable future. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. Exactly. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Professor Yucel, thank you very much for this extensive discussion today about advanced imaging of various organ systems. It is been very helpful to learn a lot of new insights. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. I'm sure that it will be very helpful for all those who see this interview and this video. Dr. Kent Yucel, MD. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. You are very welcome! Thank you! Thank you very much! Should radiologists talk to patients? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Video interview with leading expert in radiology, CT and MRI specialist. Consumer driven healthcare increased communication.