Radiologists Include Contact Telephone Number in Reports: Experience With Patient Interaction

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the experience of radiologists who include contact information in radiology reports in an era of open access to reports via patient portals. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. A prospective nonrandomized survey of all 61 radiologists in a single private practice group was conducted between July and August 2019. The survey, which consisted of 21 questions, was administered via a secure online survey software platform and distributed by e-mail. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis software. RESULTS. A total of 87% (53 of 61) of the radiologists completed the survey. Of these radiologists, 78% (41 of 52) indicated that they include their telephone number in radiology reports 75% or more of the time, with one radiologist not providing a response. Thirty-six percent of the radiologists are contacted once a year by patients, and 27% are contacted once a month. Of the 41 radiologists who include contact information 75% of the time or more, most (56% [23 of 41]) reported an increase in the frequency of patient contact. The reasons why radiologists had a patient contact them were to better understand the radiology report (95% of radiologists), to seek follow-up recommendations (39%), to express gratitude (34%), and to point out mistakes in the report (27%). Moreover, 98% (40 of 41) of radiologists reported never receiving complaints from a referring physician. Only 2% of radiologists stated that patient interaction was detrimental to workflow. Most radiologists found that interacting with patients was a satisfying experience and indicated that they would welcome more patient interaction. CONCLUSION. Including radiologist contact information in radiology reports increases patient-radiologist interaction. Despite this increased patient interaction, most radiologists indicated that they would welcome more interaction and found the communication satisfying.