Easy access to electronic imaging exams will improve patient satisfaction scores, according to a recent study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The study, from researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, was an examination of patient satisfaction with RSNA ImageShare. The software is an internet-based interoperable image exchange system that aims to give patients ownership of their imaging exams and control over access to their imaging records. It allows patients to incorporate images into a patient’s personal health record (PHR).
The researchers enrolled 2,562 patients, mean age 50.4, for the study and gave them access to ImageShare. Nearly all of them, 96 percent, responded positively to having direct access to their medical images. Nearly 80 percent said they viewed the ImageShare application. Furthermore, there was a significant advantage in ease-of-use of the software application, compared to a traditional CD.
"We found almost unanimous agreement from patients on the value of having direct, independent access to their imaging exams," "This report shows that an image-sharing solution that is patient-directed and Internet-based is feasible and not only facilitates access, but also, with respect to privacy and security, generates the same level of user satisfaction as that attained through CDs,” stated Giampaolo Greco, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Population Health Science and Policy at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
