Almeky Somiah E, Iheanacho Franklin, Slanetz Priscilla J, Narayan Anand K, Spalluto Lucy B, Krishnaraj Arun, Brathwaite Carla, Dako Farouk, Miles Randy C, Chonde Daniel B, Bryant-Smith Gwendolyn M, LeBedis Christina Alexandra, Flores Efrén J
From the Department of Radiology, Boston Medical Center, 820 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118, and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Mass (S.E.A., P.J.S., C.A.L.); McGraw/Patterson Center for Population Sciences, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass (F.I.); Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI (F.I.); Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wis (A.K.N.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tenn (L.B.S.); Department of Radiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va (A.K.); Radiology Health Equity Coalition, Reston, Va (C.B.); Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa (F.D.); Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Denver Health Hospital and Authority, Denver, Colo (R.C.M.); Department of Radiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Ky (D.B.C.); Department of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark (G.M.B.S.); and Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass (E.J.F.).
Radiographics. 2025 Aug;45(8):e240185. doi: 10.1148/rg.240185.
Health disparities represent a significant and growing concern in the United States, largely due to recent recognition of worse outcomes experienced by historically underserved groups. Radiologists have an opportunity to address these disparities by using community engagement (CE) to deepen their knowledge about patient and community-level barriers and inform the development of programs focused on improving patient access to timely radiology care. Various established frameworks, such as the socioecologic model and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities research framework, can be adapted and leveraged by radiology practices to promote CE and advance health equity. These models emphasize multilevel interactions among individual factors to broader societal influences, enabling tailored approaches to addressing disparities in access to radiologic services. Providing practical ways of applying these models will increase the presence and impact of radiology in the community. In this article, case-based practical examples of current CE efforts in radiology are presented, with the aim of empowering radiologists to engage in and lead community-focused initiatives. For each case study, specific disparities and access to radiologic services, as well as intervention strategies, are described. Finally, the authors present adaptations to existing models and frameworks to inform a radiology-centric CE model that can be used to sustainably address health disparities by enhancing educational efforts, building coalitions, and developing comprehensive outreach strategies. This proposed model is intended to not only alleviate disparities but also mitigate radiologist burnout, thereby enhancing both community health outcomes and radiologist well-being. RSNA, 2025 See the invited commentary by Hajjar and Brewington in this issue.
健康差异在美国是一个重大且日益受到关注的问题，这主要是由于最近认识到历史上服务不足群体所经历的更差结果。放射科医生有机会通过社区参与（CE）来解决这些差异，以加深他们对患者和社区层面障碍的了解，并为专注于改善患者及时获得放射科护理的项目发展提供信息。放射科实践可以采用并利用各种既定框架，如社会生态模型和美国国立少数族裔健康与健康差异研究所的研究框架，来促进社区参与并推进健康公平。这些模型强调从个体因素到更广泛社会影响的多层次相互作用，从而能够采取量身定制的方法来解决放射科服务获取方面的差异。提供应用这些模型的实用方法将增加放射科在社区中的影响力。在本文中，展示了放射科当前社区参与努力的基于案例的实际例子，目的是使放射科医生能够参与并领导以社区为重点的倡议。对于每个案例研究，都描述了具体的差异、放射科服务的获取情况以及干预策略。最后，作者提出了对现有模型和框架的调整，以形成一个以放射科为中心的社区参与模型，该模型可用于通过加强教育努力、建立联盟和制定全面的外展策略来可持续地解决健康差异。这个提议的模型不仅旨在减轻差异，还旨在缓解放射科医生的职业倦怠，从而改善社区健康结果并提升放射科医生的幸福感。RSNA，2025 见本期哈贾尔和布鲁ington的特邀评论。
