Patients' and Providers' Preferences and Perceptions for Imaging Information for Patients: Cross-Sectional Survey...

Area of Science:

• Medical Communication
• Radiology Reporting
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Communication of medical imaging results to patients is evolving.
• Controversies exist regarding patient, provider, and radiologist perspectives on report delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare patient and provider preferences for imaging report information sources.
• Contrast preferred methods of imaging report communication.
• Evaluate perceptions of patients' understanding of imaging reports.

Main Methods:

• Surveys collected preferences from 91 patients and 94 healthcare providers.
• Statistical analyses included chi-square and t tests.
• Logistic regression examined provider communication preferences.

Main Results:

• Most providers preferred delaying patient access to imaging reports until after their own review.
• Patients generally preferred receiving imaging results online immediately.
• Significant heterogeneity in provider preferences for communication timing and methods was observed.

Conclusions:

• Shared decision-making before results release can optimize communication methods and timing.
• Differentiated reporting approaches can better meet patient and provider needs.
• Improving imaging report delivery enhances patient-provider collaboration.