How Radiologists Can Benefit From Direct Communication With Patients.

Effective communication is foundational to Radiology. Historically, radiologists have been considered "doctors' doctors," communicating primarily with referring physicians and other radiologists. Aside from interventional radiology and breast imaging, direct communication between radiologists and patients has typically been limited. In recent years, major radiology professional societies have launched initiatives aimed toward increasing direct radiologist and patient communication. These include the American College of Radiology's Imaging 3.0 and Radiological Society of North America's Radiology Cares initiatives. Prior work has highlighted potential patient benefits of increased communication by demonstrating patient preferences for speaking with imaging experts about the results of their imaging studies and introducing strategies to harness existing information technology resources to achieve this goal. In this review, we explore the unique benefits that radiologists can derive from communicating with patients in regular and meaningful ways.