Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Are radiologists really warming up to the idea of patient-centered care, or has it become just another handy buzzword?
A research group from NYU Langone Medical Center wanted to find out whether radiology is picking up on the idea that patients should be at the center of clinical decision-making, so they reviewed the radiology literature for studies in which the term was used.
The good news: The number of studies mentioning "patient-centered care" grew from none 15 years ago to 25 in 2015, the last year of the study. But the bad news: Some of these studies actually had nothing to do with patient-centered care, according to the authors. Learn more about the research by clicking here.
In a related story, researchers analyzed the quality of video content that imaging facilities posted on YouTube to educate patients before their exams. For the most part, the videos did a good job of presenting material about imaging to patients, but they didn't address key concepts such as quality and safety, the researchers believe. Get the rest of the story by clicking here.
Cancer death rates fall again
Fewer people in the U.S. are dying of cancer, continuing a trend that's been evident for at least the past decade, according to an annual report released today by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
The society found that 2.1 million more Americans are alive today thanks to declining cancer mortality rates since 1991. Driving the decline are lower mortality rates for the four major cancers: lung, breast, prostate, and colorectal.
What's the cause of the improvement? Lower smoking rates are a major driver, but the ACS also cited advances in earlier detection and treatment. Read more by clicking here.
Smartphone face scans
Finally, visit our Advanced Visualization Community for an article on a fascinating new technology that will enable you to create face scans of individuals using a smartphone or tablet device. We're not sure it has applications in radiology yet, but it sure looks cool. Check it out by clicking here.
