Radiology residency programs should focus more on patient- and family-centered care
It is time for radiology residents to receive proper training about patient- and family-centered care (PFCC), according to a new analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
“Patients need radiologists to help navigate the technological maze of care,” wrote lead author David Sarkany, MD, MS-HPEd, with the department of radiology at Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health, and colleagues. “Although technology has revolutionized health care, demonstrating increased diagnostic certainty and streamlined workflows, it has had an untoward effect of weakening the physician-patient relationship. It has become increasingly clear that radiologists should no longer hide in the dark. If we argue that radiologists cannot hide from patients, then what about trainees?”
Interpersonal and communication skills—already viewed as two essential radiology milestones by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)—are at the core of PFCC. However, program directors have been given little guidance on how to teach these skills to residents.
“Many programs blindly evaluate residents on these milestones on the basis of anecdotes from attending faculty members,” the authors wrote. “Clearly, this does not demonstrate an accurate assessment of a resident’s milestone development in communication.”
Formal training in these areas is needed, according to Sarkany and colleagues, and it would go above and beyond ACGME requirements while also satisfying the goals of the American College of Radiology’s Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care.
There no set curriculum or assessment process in place for training residents about PFCC. If such a curriculum did exist, the authors wrote, it could use “reflective exercises, simulation, format didactics and other approaches” to help prepare trainees for their careers. Reflective exercises could include trainees working together in small groups to discuss possible patient scenarios. And real-time and video simulations could help trainees experience situations similar to what they would encounter in practice.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done. Developing a PFCC curriculum would certainly provide program directors with specific challenges. Perhaps the biggest challenge of all? Getting everyone involved to truly embrace the importance of PFCC. “The most difficult hurdle may be demonstrating the importance of PFCC training to both trainees and faculty members,” the authors wrote. “There are those who still doubt this need.”
Sarkany et al. concluded that, no matter which exact methods are used, the time for residency programs to move forward and implement a PFCC curriculum is now. For radiologists to truly contribute to value-based care, they must receive proper training about how to communicate with patients and their families.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.