Preprocedural consults with interventional radiologists boost patient satisfaction while reducing anxiety
Preprocedural consults with interventional radiologists can boost patient satisfaction while reducing anxiety, among other benefits, according to new research.
Technical advances in IR have helped position the profession as a “fundamental specialty in modern medicine.” However, the clinical development of IR—including taking direct responsibility for patients’ longitudinal care—has not advanced at the same pace, experts wrote Tuesday in European Radiology.
Researchers in Spain recently examined the benefit of these consultations, conducting a randomized clinical trial that also incorporated explanatory videos about interventional procedures. They found clear benefit, with the interventions increasing patients’ knowledge about the specialty.
“This work is noteworthy because it is a randomized clinical trial that provides solid evidence to reinforce current guidelines aimed at promoting a more active clinical role of interventional radiologists. Until now, these recommendations lacked an empirical basis for this standard,” lead author Pedro Blas García Jurado, with the Department of Radiology at Reina Sofía University Hospital, Córdoba, Spain, and colleagues concluded.
“Future studies should evaluate the benefits of extending this approach to all phases of longitudinal care, such as post-procedure consultations and hospital follow-up, analyzing its impact on quality, safety and financial sustainability in order to consolidate a comprehensive model in modern IR,” they added later.
Researchers conducted the clinical trial at a single center between 2022 and 2024, recruiting 430 patients scheduled for certain interventional procedures. They were randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 216) that received standard info from an ordering physician or experimental one (n = 214), which also consulted with an IR specialist and watched the video. Jurado and co-authors then assessed the impact in follow-up surveys.
Patients in the experimental group showed greater understanding of the procedure, along with satisfaction with both the information presented and level of communication. Anxiety also was lower in this group, according to assessments using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. About 99.5% of patients in the experimental group felt the video helped them understand the intervention and 86.5% said it reduced anxiety.
“Following the completion of this study, the explanatory videos initially developed for research purposes have been incorporated into routine clinical practice at our institution,” the authors reported. “In addition, preprocedural consultations are increasingly being held before selected interventions, although their systematic integration into the institution’s daily practice is being progressively evaluated and adapted according to institutional capacities.”
Read more, including potential study limitations, in European Radiology.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.