“I received more than 50 MRIs, but never got to meet my neuroradiologist. I don’t even know what he/she looks like.” Greg Cantwell, a 10-year survivor of Glioblastoma, shared his story with attendees of the 53rd annual meeting of the ASNR at one of the doctor-patient symposia, a highlight of this year’s “Getting Personal” meeting theme. Numerous patients joined the meeting as guest speakers with stories of both good and bad healthcare experiences. Their experiences illustrated the important role Neuroradiologists play and ways that we could do better from the patient perspective.
Despite Mr. Cantwell’s overall positive experience with the medical system and his incredible outcome in overcoming the odds, he wished his radiologist had been more accessible throughout his journey. “I wish the radiologist was there in the room when I was told about the diagnosis or changes in my MRIs. We [patients] have many questions; the oncologist is not able to answer some of them.”
Dr. Laurie Loevner, program chair and president-elect of ASNR, described her idea for this unique theme of the meeting, “The patient-doctor symposium helps the patients know what a neuroradiologist does. It also help radiologists to go back and see what it is like to be a patient, and to remember that behind each image they are looking at, there is a patient. It is necessary for us to build bridges with patients, support groups, and related health care professionals.”
These doctor-patient symposia spanned a number of topics, including brain tumors, head and neck cancer, traumatic brain injury, thyroid cancer, and cognitive decline. Examples included Kathy Stack, who had served as caretaker to her husband with dementia prior to suffering from mild cognitive decline herself. She highlighted the difficulties faced by such patients and their loved ones and illustrated that a picture can be worth 1000 words, with imaging confirmation of diagnosis an important step in convincing patients/loved ones to seek appropriate care.
Chef Grant Achatz, co-owner of the Michelin Three Star Restaurant Alinea, is a survivor of stage 4 oral tongue cancer. As a world-renown restaurateur, Chef Achatz’s tongue is a huge part of his life and his career. His unique disposition led him to seek second-opinion after second-opinion to find a treatment plan that would best allow him to maintain a level of quality he deemed necessary in his life. He also reflected upon the design of his award winning restaurants as an example of creatively overcoming obstacles to take customer experience to new heights.
Beth Daley Ullem, mother to a child with Tetralogy of Fallot and a pregnancy lost during uterine rupture, spoke in depth to the audience about multiple failures of the medical system which she has had the misfortune of facing firsthand. Despite being a “1 percenter” with an advanced degree, a high profile career, and deeply rooted familial political connections, she ran into endless roadblocks in trying to find the information she needed to make informed decisions about the care of her children, such as limited access to research information and lack of availability of basic physician safety and quality data. She has since devoted much of her life to advancing patient safety and quality and advocates for the “Uber-ization” of health care to focus more on improved outcome and quality transparency, consistent customer service experiences, and price transparency/differentiation.
What did you think of these unique patient-focused sessions at the meeting? What were some of the things you learned that you can take back to your daily practice?
