Greg Freiherr has reported on developments in radiology since 1983. He runs the consulting service, The Freiherr Group.

Blog | December 07, 2012

RSNA Wags its Finger to Put Patients First

The top step I took to the 2012 RSNA exhibit halls at the McCormick Center in Chicago bore the RSNA theme “Patients First”.  Above my head, a circular banner asserted the same. While it was not so apparent in the past, putting patients first is nothing new. When has radiology ever put them second?

Over the last three decades just about every interview I’ve done with radiologists has been peppered with references to “image quality” and “outcomes”. But what the RSNA said this year was different. In the opening day address, “Putting patients first – rhetoric or responsibility”, RSNA president George S. Bisset, M.D., exhorted radiologists to re-examine their traditional relationship with patients and to make radiology procedures more patient friendly.

“It is in our best interest to make our procedures more patient-friendly and to observe care more often through the eyes of the patient rather than through our own," Bisset explained.

The tools do so are in hand. For years, Philips has been hawking its “Ambient Experience”, which revamps the scanning environment with soft lighting, relaxing video, and soothing music. GE uses a symbol of “caring hands” on its ultra-short wide bore MR scanners, which along with competitors’ wide bore and open scanners demonstrate how far we have come from the long, narrow cylinders of a decade ago. CT and nuclear scans have gotten dramatically shorter and their radiation exposure substantially less over the last few years. And more such patient-oriented technology is on the way.

At this last RSNA meeting, Philips and Siemens introduced interventional systems that promise to cut dose in some interventional procedures by more than 80 percent. Siemens introduced a point-of-care ultrasound scanner featuring wireless transducers that eliminate the cables that could snag equipment or contaminate a surgical field. GE unveiled a work-in-progress scanner, called Silent Scan, that can cut noise levels in the MR suite from a peak above 120 decibels to 76.

Over the last 30 years, radiologists have put patients first through their use of increasingly precise technologies, ones that have made diagnoses more accurate and patient management more precise. This is continuing, just as industry crafts tools to make radiology kinder and gentler.

It’s remarkable that these developments in patient comfort and safety have been gathering momentum just as radiology’s leadership builds the culture to use them. 


Related Content

News | Radiation Oncology

May 2, 2025 — GE HealthCare has announced an intended expansion of its radiation oncology portfolio as well as the ...

Time May 08, 2025
arrow
News | Radiology Education

April 21, 2025 — On June 20, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) will award Life Member status to ...

Time April 21, 2025
arrow
News | Radiology Business

April 16, 2025 — According to a new report, the U.S. Radiotherapy Market is projected to reach $2.49 billion by 2030 ...

Time April 17, 2025
arrow
News | Artificial Intelligence

April 16, 2025 — An artificial intelligence (AI) program trained to review images from a common medical test can detect ...

Time April 16, 2025
arrow
News | Ultrasound Women's Health

April 11, 2025 — Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a safe and accurate diagnostic imaging option for pregnant women ...

Time April 11, 2025
arrow
News | Focused Ultrasound Therapy

March 31, 2025 — Neuropathic pain affects up to 10 percent of the global population and can be challenging to manage ...

Time April 02, 2025
arrow
News | Breast Imaging

March 20, 2025 — GE HealthCare has launched Invenia Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) Premium, the latest 3D ultrasound ...

Time March 21, 2025
arrow
News | X-Ray

March 18, 2025 — GE HealthCare recently announced a collaboration with NVIDIA expanding the existing relationship ...

Time March 19, 2025
arrow
News | ASTRO

March 14, 2025 — Another pivotal milestone in the nation’s fight against cancer recently took place with the ...

Time March 17, 2025
arrow
News | Breast Imaging

Feb. 26, 2025 — iCAD, Inc. a provider of clinically proven AI-powered cancer detection solutions, and Koios Medical, a ...

Time March 03, 2025
arrow
Subscribe Now