JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The ability for patients to directly view their radiology images through secure electronic portals is rare in the American health care system. We previously surveyed patients within our health system and found that a large majority wanted to view their own radiology images online, and have since implemented this new feature.

Objective:

We aim to understand patient experiences, opinions and actions taken after viewing their own radiology images online.

Methods:

We emailed an online survey to patients who recently viewed their radiology images via our electronic patient portal.

Results:

We sent a total of 1,825 surveys to patients and received 299 responses (response rate=16.4%). Patients reported a favorable experience (86% agree) viewing their radiology images online. Patients found value in reading their radiology reports (96% agree) and viewing their images (89% agree). Overall, patients felt that accessing and viewing their radiology images online increased their understanding of their medical condition (83%), made them feel more in control and reassured (79% and 74%, respectively), and increased levels of trust (72%). Only 6% of participants indicated concerns with finding errors, 6% felt that viewing their images online made them worry more, and 7% felt confused when viewing their images online. Of patients who viewed their images online, 45% took no action with their images, 33% saved a copy for their records, 25% shared them with their doctor, and 15% shared them with another doctor for a second opinion. A total of 9 patients (3%) shared their radiology images on Facebook and/or Instagram, primarily to inform family and friends. Ten percent of patients had questions about their radiology images after viewing them online, with the majority (65%) seeking out a doctor and far fewer (16%) choosing to ask a family member about their images. Finally, respondents viewed their images online using one or more devices including computers, smartphones, and/or tablets. Twenty-seven percent (n=103/385) of responses noted technical difficulties in total, with the highest incidence rate occurring with smartphones.

Conclusions:

We report the first known survey results from patients who have viewed their own radiology images through an online portal. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction and increased levels of trust, autonomy, reassurance, and medical understanding. Only a small minority of patients expressed anxiety or confusion. We suggest that patient access to radiology images, like patient access to radiology reports, is highly desired by patients and operationally practical. Other health care institutions should consider offering patients access to their radiology images online in the pursuit of information transparency.