"We believe improving the face of radiology is crucial to the protection and future growth of our profession," lead author Dr. Rajan Agarwal told AuntMinnie.com. "Many patients still do not know who a radiologist is or what a radiologist does. With increasing patient volumes and decreasing reimbursement, radiologists' time is increasingly being squeezed, leaving less time for direct patient communication. The question therefore remains: How do we make a more direct connection with our patients and demonstrate our value and role in their healthcare?"
Agarwal and colleagues conducted an 18-week trial between October 2007 and February 2008 that included 9,457 outpatients who had chest x-rays, chest CTs, or MRIs of the brain. Every other week, eligible patients received either a satisfaction survey alone, or both a thank you letter and the survey: 4,716 got a letter and a survey and 4,741 received just a survey. Agarwal's team then examined the satisfaction survey results and imaging utilization for the year following the date the letters were sent, comparing responses from patients who had and had not received a thank you letter.
"Patients receiving a letter were more likely to recommend our institution to family and friends," the team wrote.
They found that on average, patients who received a letter had 6.1 imaging exams performed during the year after they were enrolled in the study, compared with 5.3 exams for patients who didn't get a letter.
The results surprised Agarwal's team, although previous research with specific patient letters related to mammography and cervical cancer screening has shown that direct communication with patients can improve satisfaction and utilization.
"We didn't expect that a simple letter could have such a positive impact on patient satisfaction and imaging utilization," Agarwal said. "In the future, we believe it will be necessary to send more specific information with exam results and possibly images to all patients. New electronic methods of communication that have been adopted at our and other institutions will facilitate this more direct communication between physicians and patients."
