Patient initiated radiology requests: proof of wellness through images
Lizzie De Silva
A * , Melissa Baysari B , Melanie Keep C , Peter Kench A and Jillian Clarke A
A Discipline of Medical Imaging Science, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Susan Wakil Health Building, Camperdown Campus, Western Avenue, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
B Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Charles Perkins Centre D17, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
C Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Susan Wakil Health Building D18, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
Australian Journal of Primary Health - https://doi.org/10.1071/PY22247
Submitted: 24 November 2022 Accepted: 24 July 2023 Published online: 24 August 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: Traditionally, general practitioners (GPs) have initiated the need for, and ordered, radiological tests. With the emergence of consumer-centred care, patients have started to request scans from doctors on their own initiative. Consumeristic health care has shifted the patient–doctor dyadic relationship, with GPs trending towards accommodating patients’ requests.
Methods: A mixed method analysis was conducted using a survey instrument with open ended questions and concurrent interviews to explore participants’ responses from their requests for radiological studies from GPs. Themes emerging from both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were mapped onto the Andersen Newman Model (ANM).
Results: Data were analysed for ‘predisposing,’ ‘need’ and ‘enabling’ elements of the ANM model and were correspondingly mapped to patient’s requests for radiological referrals according to the elements of the ANM. Participants expressed anxiety about their health, were confident in the types of radiological scans they desired and typically indicated the need for evidence of good health. Their desire for such requested scans was often enabled through prior exposure to health information and the experience of specific symptoms. Requests came with the expectation of validation, and if these requests were denied, participants indicated that they would seek another doctor who would oblige.
Conclusions: In our modest study of Australian patients, participants were well informed about their health. Exposure to information seems to create a sense of anxiousness prior to visiting the doctor. Individuals sought visual proof of wellness through imaging, and doctors in return often accommodated patient requests for radiological studies to appease patients’ needs and to maintain workflow.
Keywords: diagnostic imaging, empowerment, health consumer, health outcome, internet, mixed methods, patient-doctor communication, patient preference, patient request, radiological requests.
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