Taking a proactive role in patient management of important incidental imaging findings: How can we increase the ‘value’ of diagnostic radiology service and improve quality of patient care?

Excerpt

Recently, several medical incidents were reported in the Japanese news media, in which some pertinent imaging findings such as incidental cancer were not picked up by non-radiologist physicians. In one case, radiologists correctly reported the findings as suspicious for lung metastasis, but the gynecologists taking care of the patient did not read the report and were not aware of it until it was too late [1]. Collective efforts by radiologists and non-radiologists are currently being made in Japan to prevent similar future incidents. In fact, we believe this is an opportunity for diagnostic radiologists to emphasize the fact that we are essential specialty of medicine, especially as ‘doctor’s doctor’ to non-radiologists and to general public, if we handle this issue correctly. …