The spokesman radiologist: Influencing public health through outreach

Radiologists have a unique ability to affect public health by virtue of their central role in preventative medicine, primarily through cancer screening. As the care paradigm moves from volume to value, radiologists can improve screening through direct patient engagement and coordination with health providers, write Farouk Dako, MD, and colleagues.

Dako and his colleagues make the case for radiologists as visible public health practitioners in an article published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Radiologists are taking on an increasingly large role in secondary prevention, including CT lung screening, colon cancer screening and mammography. These secondary prevention measures are crucial to maintaining value in care—86 percent of medical spending was on patients with chronic conditions.

Initiatives like the ACA have signaled the importance of preventative services and CMS has increased coverage of screening tools--but services are still underutilized, especially by underserved populations. There’s a significant racial and socioeconomic disparity in both breast cancer screening and lung cancer mortality, and radiologists can make a difference.

“Over time, we have unsuccessfully expected underserved populations to navigate a changing climate of health care that includes fast-paced changes in technology,” wrote the authors. “Radiologists can provide patient centered care by making their services accessible as well as culturally and socioeconomically sensitive to the population being served.”

An active role in promoting screening and cancer awareness could go a long way, according to Dako et al.

“Questions of harms of radiation, the experience of undergoing the CT scan, and the accuracy of the test are best answered by a radiologist,” they wrote. “Knowing that a physician caring enough to speak directly to patients is interpreting the images from the scan provides reassurance to the community and improves the lung cancer screening experience.”

In addition, maximum participation in public health data sharing is an indirect way for radiologists to help their community. As technology advances to create larger and larger pools of imaging data, researchers can investigate disease risk factors and prevention methods.   

A more direct method of influencing community behavior is through grassroots organizations which help disadvantaged populations in urban areas. These individuals are often inaccessible through the conventional health care system and are unaware of the benefits and ease of preventative medicine. The authors recommend hosting health fairs, lectures, or disseminating print or web-based materials to educate these populations.

“Radiologists have the opportunity to advance their role in helping populations achieve health equity by partnering with various stakeholders to engage patients in their health care and improve the utilization of radiologic screening services,” wrote the authors.