Immediate Interpretation and Results Communication Decreases Patient Anxiety: Experience in a Private Practice Community Hospital

OBJECTIVE. The study objectives were to evaluate the percentage of patients interested in immediate radiologic results and to measure patient anxiety and hospital loyalty with this program in a private practice community hospital setting. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Between December 2018 and May 2019, 100 patients 18-89 years old with a primary diagnosis of abdominal pain had imaging orders for CT, ultrasound, or nuclear medicine-hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scans and subsequently were asked if they wanted immediate results. Those who opted for immediate results were given a two-question survey before and after results delivery that asked about their anxiety level and imaging center loyalty. Data were entered using SurveyMonkey (SVMK) and analyzed using SAS software (version 9.4, SAS Institute). RESULTS. The majority (78%) of patients wanted immediate results. There were statistically significant differences in anxiety level before and after results delivery; 37% (p < 0.001) reported decreased anxiety after receiving imaging results, whereas 57% reported no change in anxiety (p < 0.001). The decision whether to come back to this imaging center (hospital loyalty) did not change before and after test results; 85% of participants strongly agreed that they would return. CONCLUSION. It is feasible for private practice radiologists to discuss CT, ultrasound, or nuclear medicine imaging results with patients in a community hospital setting. The majority of patients preferred immediate results over traditional methods of notification. Most patients reported anxiety about their imaging results, and a statistically significant number had decreased anxiety after discussing results with radiologists.