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Bringing the radiation risk discussion to the patient bedside

by Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | March 27, 2015
A study published in the journal Radiology has found that patients want greater communication from their physicians regarding the risk, benefits, and alternatives, to radiation exposure from ordered imaging examinations.

Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) reviewed nine hours of conversations from 30 people who had undergone imaging exams to determine how well they understood the risks and benefits of imaging, and to gauge their expectations regarding the communication of that information.

Their findings suggest that patients want to assess these risks and benefits alongside their doctors; a type of conversation that happens rarely and is seldom initiated by the clinicians. When those conversations did not take place, many patients went online to learn more independently.
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"Interest in having more information and participating in decision making about medical imaging clearly increased as patients transitioned from active cancer treatment to survivorship," said lead author, Dr. Raymond H. Thornton, an interventional radiologist at MSKCC, in a statement. "Cancer survivors typically focus on healthful living and risk-factor reduction, so they were particularly eager to participate in discussions about potential long-term risks of radiation."

The patients surveyed understood the risks of ionizing radiation, but did not generally know which imaging exams exposed them to it. For example, many participants did not know that MRI does not use ionizing radiation. In some cases, patients confused ionizing radiation with radiation therapy.

Despite an interest in more information about why certain imaging exams were being ordered and what the alternatives would be, most patients said those insights would probably not alter their decision to proceed as the doctor recommended.

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