Patient Knowledge and Understanding of Radiation From Diagnostic Imaging

Abstract

ested in increasing the use of generic drugs may consider banning physicians from accepting food and beverages in the workplace. Any potential interventions should be targeted toward older physicians, internists, and those in solo or 2-person practices.Our study has several limitations. First, because of social desirability bias, our results likely represent a lowerbound estimate of the actual frequency of physicians prescribing brand-name drugs at the patients' requests. Second, we were unable to adjust the result for the frequency with which physicians were asked by patients for a specific brand-name drug. Finally, our study was not able to examine whether a brand-name drug was actually dispensed at the pharmacy, given that some states have laws that allow pharmacists to substitute a generic for a brand-name prescription.

Patient Perspectives and Preferences for Communication of Medical Imaging Risks in a Cancer Care Setting

“…Nonetheless, patient knowledge regarding the examinations involving ionizing radiation was variable and generally poor. As in other studies (9,10), very few participants had ever discussed their concerns with a health care provider, relying on information from self-directed internet searches instead. The amount and type of information each participant wanted about imaging tests was extremely variable.…”

“…Although we discovered many reasons a patient with cancer may not seek information about the risks of ionizing radiation from imaging, study participants clearly believed such information should be routinely available to patients. Similarly, Busey et al (10) found that 90% of patients felt that it was important to be informed of imaging risks. The transition to survivorship prompted increased concern about the risks of ionizing radiation from medical imaging among our participants.…”

“…Yet there is also evidence to support the position that these risks are either uncertain or extremely small for adults (7). Most commonly, patients do not receive information on the risks and benefits of diagnostic imaging examinations that involve the use of ionizing radiation (8,9), and studies of patient perspectives on this topic are, to our knowledge, limited to several surveys (10,11). To develop models for shared decision making about diagnostic imaging, we must understand the perspectives of patients for whom ionizing radiation exposure from medical imaging is an important concern.…”

An exploration of Canadian emergency physicians' and residents' knowledge of computed tomography radiation dosing and risk

“…Previous studies reported that patients have a poor understanding of the ionizing radiation exposure associated with CT and that potential risks are rarely communicated to them. 14,24 We found that approximately one-quarter of emergency physicians reported having been asked by their patients about the risks of malignancy due to CT imaging and that one-third communicated these potential risks to their patients most of the time. These rates are comparable to previous studies in which rates of 22 to 40% were reported for regular emergency medicine physician communication of these risks.…”

Shared Decision-Making: Is It Time to Obtain Informed Consent Before Radiologic Examinations Utilizing Ionizing Radiation? Legal and Ethical Implications

“…Another recently published survey of patients presenting for nonurgent outpatient CT and cardiac single-photon emission CT scans revealed that 90% said that it was important to be informed of imaging risks [40]. In yet another survey of parents who brought their children who had sustained head injuries to a hospital emergency department, 90% wanted to be informed of potential malignancy risks before proceeding with CT scans [41].…”