Radiologists Include Contact Telephone Number in Reports: Experience With Patient Interaction.

Abstract

<b>OBJECTIVE.</b> The purpose of this study is to evaluate the experience of radiologists who include contact information in radiology reports in an era of open access to reports via patient portals. <b>SUBJECTS AND METHODS.</b> A prospective nonrandomized survey of all 61 radiologists in a single private practice group was conducted between July and August 2019. The survey, which consisted of 21 questions, was administered via a secure online survey software platform and distributed by e-mail. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis software. <b>RESULTS.</b> A total of 87% (53 of 61) of the radiologists completed the survey. Of these radiologists, 78% (41 of 52) indicated that they include their telephone number in radiology reports 75% or more of the time, with one radiologist not providing a response. Thirty-six percent of the radiologists are contacted once a year by patients, and 27% are contacted once a month. Of the 41 radiologists who include contact information 75% of the time or more, most (56% [23 of 41]) reported an increase in the frequency of patient contact. The reasons why radiologists had a patient contact them were to better understand the radiology report (95% of radiologists), to seek follow-up recommendations (39%), to express gratitude (34%), and to point out mistakes in the report (27%). Moreover, 98% (40 of 41) of radiologists reported never receiving complaints from a referring physician. Only 2% of radiologists stated that patient interaction was detrimental to workflow. Most radiologists found that interacting with patients was a satisfying experience and indicated that they would welcome more patient interaction. <b>CONCLUSION.</b> Including radiologist contact information in radiology reports increases patient-radiologist interaction. Despite this increased patient interaction, most radiologists indicated that they would welcome more interaction and found the communication satisfying.