Getting Rid of Patient's Misconceptions About the Radiology Department Using Animated Video in the Waiting Room.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Education
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Patients frequently misunderstand the distinct roles of radiologists and technicians.
• This confusion can lead to suboptimal patient expectations and increased anxiety during imaging procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patient perceptions of the radiology department.
• To assess the effectiveness of an informative animated video in correcting misconceptions and improving patient understanding.

Main Methods:

• A multi-centric survey of 278 patients in radiology waiting rooms.
• Comparison of patient understanding and perceptions between those who watched an informative video and those who did not.

Main Results:

• Watching the video significantly reduced the misconception that radiologists perform scans (19% vs 50%).
• Fewer patients believed their referring physician would interpret images after watching the video (10% vs 36%).
• The video increased respect for radiologists, reduced anxiety, and was perceived as valuable across educational levels.

Conclusions:

• Animated educational videos are effective tools for enhancing patient knowledge in radiology departments.
• These videos help manage patient expectations, decrease anxiety, and improve the overall patient experience.
• Benefits were observed across all educational levels, though the learning curve was steeper for highly educated patients.