Doctors more likely to prescribe preventive therapy if prompted by EMR

Purely educating doctors about the importance of prescribing certain therapies may not be enough to make a meaningful impact, according to a new Penn Medicine study. Using acid suppression therapy–an effective method of reducing the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in vulnerable cardiac patients–Penn researchers tested interventions that utilized both education and an electronic “dashboard” system…

Patient factors contribute to imaging follow-up rates

A new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) considers several potential factors that might have led to disparities in follow-up imaging rates among patients with indeterminate initial abdominal imaging findings. The study, “Patient Factor Disparities in Imaging Follow-Up Rates After Incidental Abdominal Findings,” reviewed the records of…

Lumbar spine MRI reports are too difficult for patients to understand

As increasing numbers of patients gain online access to their radiology reports, a new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) assesses how thoroughly patients understand these complex documents. Traditionally intended to communicate findings and diagnoses to clinicians, radiology reports have become much more accessible to patients through…