Arun Krishnaraj, MD, MPH

With the release of the iPhone 4S and Siri, Apple has introduced speech recognition (SR) technology to the masses. Apple bills and markets Siri as a “humble personal assistant.” However, I doubt many radiologists, who have been working with SR technology for multiple years, would describe their SR software systems this way.

If mammography results were reported in the inconsistent way that thyroid ultrasound reports are currently dictated there would be outrage in the medical community. It is important for radiologists to be consistent with their approach and management of these lesions when imaged with ultrasound to prevent unnecessary biopsies, and just as important, undue fear on the part of patients.

We are entering a new era of health care that is more patient centered. Part of this new paradigm is patient access to their medical records, easily accessible from the Internet.

One radiologist is determined to discuss results directly with patients.

A physician muses about the past and the future during a case on the 200th year anniversary of his hospital

As radiologists we review numerous images and base our findings on our experience and expertise, which are in turn based on reading articles and textbooks (our knowledge base). If we program all of these knowledge bases into a computer, then wouldn’t the computer be as good or likely even better than we are?

Many other industries understand the importance of specialization and divesting of service lines in which they do not excel. Why should the practice of radiology be any different? However, while this arrangement is feasible and sustainable in the academic setting it is not clear if the private practice world of radiology is equipped to follow this model.

As more and more talented radiology trainees choose private practice rather than academics, radiology’s ability to produce cutting edge research in imaging will be threatened by other specialties in medicine. If more of the research that drives the imaging sciences originates from outside radiology, non-radiologists could ultimately take over the clinical domain of imaging.

In order to deliver value-added care, we must take pause to not only identify the salient findings but craft our reports in a manner that allow our referring providers to understand the relative significance of those findings. In an era of diminishing face-to-face communication between radiologists and primary care-physicians the wording of our reports is more important than ever.

Laura and her husband Paul landed in Boston to begin a whirlwind tour of several major East Coast cities in celebration of their second wedding anniversary. As a Brit, Laura most looked forward to touring the sites of the city that helped ignite the American Revolution. Following a bowl of “chowda” and a few pictures along the Charles River, they would bid farewell to Beantown and headed toward the bright lights of the Big Apple.

Linda could not shake the pesky cough and congestion that had settled into her chest. She knew a quick trip to the doctor was the most prudent course of action but couldn't afford it. When she finally had to go to the emergency room, she received three imaging examinations in succession for a common ailment that could easily have been diagnosed by a physical exam and laboratory tests alone.

The current generation of trainees in radiology and other medical specialties likely prefer texting to direct communication, but are we missing something in these electronic messages? I believe so.

“I hope my doctor can figure out why I’ve been having so much difficulty swallowing of late,” said the patient as I finished his upper GI study. During the procedure I clearly saw a large mass invading the lumen of Mr. Jones’ esophagus but I kept this knowledge to myself as I made small talk with him before heading back to the reading room.

Globally, four billion people have no access to imaging services. Several U.S. organizations are part of an effort to share knowledge and resources to bring the benefits of imaging to medical systems in developing nations.

Over the past week I have seen my fair share of our nation’s airports. After seven flights in six days I am ready for landing by land or sea and will not hesitate to don my oxygen mask before assisting my fellow passengers in doing the same.

After a rapid-fire series of moves, our author finds that Netflix effortlessly follows him everywhere. Too bad it wasn’t the same for images from a patient with a possible thyroid mass.

For the medical profession to continue to grow and thrive, trainees must be given meaningful opportunities to actively care for patients. New blogger Dr. Arun Krishnaraj discusses how that’s happening now and how it can be made better, for patients as well as doctors.