Highlights
- •In the past, radiology reports were intended for clinicians, but today reports are commonly read by patients themselves.
- •The 21st Century Cures Act requires that radiology reports in electronic health records be visible to patients without delay.
- •In recent years, new strategies have been developed to make radiology reports more patient-friendly.
Abstract
The past several decades have witnessed dramatic developments and improvements in
the field of radiology, including technologic innovations and new imaging modalities,
picture archiving and communication systems, and the rise of artificial intelligence.
At the same time, an evolution has been occurring in a fundamental component of radiology
practice – the radiologist's report. Initially, the radiology report was a private
written communication between the radiologist and the referring physician
1.
,
. Today, the report is an electronic document, displayed on web portals, and visible
to both physicians and the patients themselves.
3.
A provision in the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law on December 13, 2016,
ensures that radiology reports in the electronic health record are visible to patients
without delay
- Alarifi M.
- Patrick T.
- Jabour A.
- Wu M.
- Luo J.
Full radiology report through patient web portal: a literature review.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 22; 17: 3673https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103673. PMID: 32456099; PMCID: PMC7277373
4.
. To meet modern patient expectations and legal requirements, the structure and purpose
of the radiologist report is changing. This article will provide an overview of the
history of radiology reporting and the law, discuss the role of the radiologist report
within the context of patient and family centered care, review current strategies
and investigations in patient-friendly reporting, and summarize radiology reporting
challenges and opportunities for the future.Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 01, 2022
Accepted:
June 28,
2022
Received in revised form:
June 8,
2022
Received:
April 28,
2022
Identification
Copyright
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