Patient and Radiologist Demographics Influence Perceptions of Screening Mammography Reports.

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Health Disparities Research
• Patient Experience Studies

Background:

• Patient perceptions of screening mammography reports and interpreting radiologists are crucial for adherence and trust.
• Understanding demographic influences on these perceptions can help improve patient communication and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how patient and radiologist demographics affect patient perceptions of screening mammography reports.
• To assess the influence of race and education on patient trust, understanding, and satisfaction with mammography reports and radiologists.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 178 women undergoing breast imaging, collecting demographic data.
• Presented participants with mock screening mammography reports featuring radiologists of varying race and sex.
• Used generalized estimating equation ordinal logistic regression to analyze the impact of demographics on patient responses.

Main Results:

• Black participants reported higher trust when the radiologist was also Black (P=.037).
• Black participants showed lower satisfaction with report quality (P=.043).
• Participants without college education reported lower satisfaction with report quality (P=.020) and perceived less radiologist care (P=.037).

Conclusions:

• Patient race and education level significantly influence perceptions of mammography reports and radiologists.
• Findings suggest implications for improving mammography adherence, recruiting breast radiologists, and developing patient-centered reports.