Royal Philips, the parent company of Philips Healthcare, has released research on patient experience in diagnostic imaging procedures.
Philips' Patient Experience in Imaging Study surveyed 603 patients in the U.S. and Germany about their satisfaction, expectations, preferences, and unmet needs with diagnostic imaging procedures in the past year. Patients identified trust in the referring doctor, communication, comfort, safety, and getting the image right the first time as key priorities, according to Philips.
Patients' top priorities were getting through the scan as quickly as possible and minimizing exposure to harmful radiation and contrast agents. Most respondents expressed feelings of being well taken care of, respected, and informed, but many also cited feelings of nervousness, uncertainty, and powerlessness during the process.
Patients also expressed the desire to be well-informed throughout the imaging procedure. Timeliness of scheduling and communication of results were top concerns, with key areas being minimal wait time to get the procedure scheduled (61%) and minimal wait time to receive results (58%).
The reported can be downloaded here.
