Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Perception and Expectations of Neurologists,Neurosurgeons and Psychiatrists

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has rapidly become an essential diagnostic tool in modern medicine. Understanding the objectives, perception and expectations of the different medical specialties towards MRI is therefore important to improve the quality of the examinations. Our aim was to better comprehend the reasons and expectations of neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychiatrists when requesting brain MRI scans for their patients, and also to perceive the degree of confidence of these specialists in the images and respective reports. Sixty-three specialists were recruited from two tertiary hospitals and answered a tailored questionnaire. Neurosurgeons were more concerned with the images themselves; neurologists lacked confidence in both MRI images and reports, and one third of the psychiatrists only read the report and were the most confident of the specialties in MRI findings. These results possibly reflect the idiosyncrasies of each of these medical specialties. This knowledge, driven by efficient communication between neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons, neurologists and psychiatrists, may contribute to improve the quality of MRI examinations and consequently patient care and management of health resources.

Keywords

ethics interdisciplinary communication magnetic resonance imaging neurology neurosurgery psychiatry radiology

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Kettenbach

Wong

Kacher

. Computer-based imaging and interventional MRI: Applications for neurosurgery. Comput Med Imaging Graph. 1999: 23 (5): 245–258. doi: 10.1016/S0895-6111(99)00022-1.

McCarron

Sands

McCarron

. Quality assurance of neuroradiology in a District General Hospital. Q J Med. 2006; 99 (3): 171–175. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hc1012.

Linden

Fallgatter

. Neuroimaging in psychiatry: From bench to bedside. Front Hum Neurosci. 2009: 3: 49. doi: 10.3389/neuro.09.049.2009.

Wallis

McCoubrie

. The radiology report – Are we getting the message across? Clin Radiol. 2011; 66 (11): 1015–1022. doi: 10.1016/j.crad.2011.05.013.

Dalla Palma

Stacul

Meduri

. Relationships between radiologists and clinicians: Results from three surveys. Clin Radiol. 2000; 55 (8): 602–605. doi: 10.1053/crad.2000.0495.

Grieve

Plumb

Khan

. Radiology reporting: a General practitioner's perspective. Br J Radiol. 2010: 83 (985): 17–22. doi: 10.1259/bjr/16360063.

Clinger

Hunter

Hillman

. Radiology reporting: Attitudes of referring physicians. Radiology. 1988: 169 (3): 825–826.

Centro Hospitalar São João . Instituição. 2013. Available at: http://www.chsj.pt/PageGen.aspx?WMCM_Pagi-naId=27542. Accessed 2 October 2013.

Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho . Caracterização. 2013. Available at: http://www.chvng.pt/assets/html/chvnge_caracterizacao.html. Accessed 2 October 2013.

10.

Malhi

Lagopoulos

. Making sense of neuroimaging in psychiatry. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008; 117 (2): 100–117.

11.

Bandettini

. Twenty years of functional MRI: The science and the stories. Neuroimage. 2012; 62 (2): 575–588. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.04.026.

12.

Anumula

Sanelli

. National initiatives for measuring quality performance for the practicing neuroradiologist. Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2012; 22 (3): 457–466. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2012.04.010.

13.

Yousem

. Combating overutilization: Radiology benefits managers versus order entry decision support. Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2012; 22 (3): 497–509. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2012.05.013.