Can the imaging industry reduce reading room interruptions?

Radiologists everywhere are searching for the Perfect Reading Room Workflow; you know, the one where everything falls right into place, and everyone does the most efficient action possible at all times.

Of course, they may never truly find perfection—campers probably have a better chance of picnicking with Bigfoot—but it’s important to keep trying. By always striving for excellence, physicians make a big impact on the overall quality of patient care. Even minor adjustments to workflow can go a long way.

One issue radiologists are currently working on is the presence of reading room interruptions. Some interrupts can be limited fairly easily, while others are much more complex.

Both Raj M. Ratwani, PhD, MedStar Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, and John-Paul J. Yu, MD, PhD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, have led recent studies into the issue of interruptions.

“Radiologists practice in a complex, demanding, and disruptive work environment,” Yu et al. wrote.

As research teams study this problem, the push toward patient-centered care and the evolution of PACS and EMR technology have potential to create even more interruptions. For instance, ordering physicians and other clinicians want the ability to communicate with a patient’s radiologist at the click of button. And patients are accessing their own reports through patient portals at a growing rate, which means more anxious questions for radiologists from anxious patients.

So how do you limit interruptions while new sources of interruptions are entering the equation? How do you stay more focused while more parties are battling for your attention? These are no easy answers here.

Radiologists will undoubtedly crack this code someday and begin work on the next big workflow challenge. For now, though, it’s a matter of providing the best care possible while working toward that Perfect Reading Room Workflow.