Dooley Noted: 6/20/2016
In clinical practice, I help patients review their imaging reports and findings from bloodwork.
99% of the time, the results have not been properly explained to the patient.
And more often than not, the patient has not obtained the written reports from several series of imaging studies.
This leaves the patient a slave to the medical community, with no foundation upon which to research the findings.
Furthermore, healthcare practitioners may get lazy and diagnose off medical imaging.
When I used to teach radiographic imaging to doctoral candidates of physical therapy, my number one rule was this:
Never diagnose strictly based on radiographic findings.
Patients need to learn to arm themselves, since many doctors do not cross reference to share the findings with one another.
It’s up to you, the patient, to arm yourself with the following
1. Medical records: keep an electronic and paper copy of all findings for as far back as you can date.
2. Imaging reports: obtain radiographic reports from any imaging studies, including reports written from ultrasounds, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, etc.
3. Stay off WebMD: Avoid unless you have the training to decipher what applies. Even then, objective and subjective findings rarely coexist. Get assessed, but make sure the exam is thorough.
4. Once diagnosed: Feel free to investigate and research your diagnosis from the qualified healthcare professional.
5. Get your doctors talking: CC them all on confidential emails. Get them connected via phone or web. If they refuse, then get new doctors. No one is too busy for a five-minute phone call.
Arm yourself, and your healthcare team can better help you.
As always, it’s your call.
-Dr. Kathy Dooley
