Arun Krishnaraj, MD, MPH, chair of the ACR Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care, and associate professor of Radiology and Medical Imaging at the University of Virginia, contributed this post.
When it comes to providing high-quality patient care, we are all in this together. That belief helps guide the ACR Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care (PFCC), which works to ensure that radiologic care is provided in a manner that incorporates the needs, wants and values of our patients and communities.
Over the past five years, numerous PFCC advocates have joined the Commission and formed six critical committees to help radiologists approach the planning, delivery and evaluation of healthcare and encourage partnerships between providers, patients and families. Earlier this week, we were pleased to release our new report, Patient Empowerment: Transforming Patients Into Partners, which highlights the remarkable achievements since the Commission was established in 2015.
One example worth highlighting is the development of Patient-Friendly Summaries of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria®.
The ACR Appropriateness Criteria includes recommendations and information to help providers make the most appropriate imaging or treatment decision for specific medical conditions. The recommendations focus on which imaging tests physicians should, or should not, order based on various patient symptoms, medical histories and health status. The guidelines are reviewed annually by a panel of different medical specialists who take into account the latest research.
The Patient-Friendly Summaries were created by the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Patient Subcommittee in collaboration with the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR) to include patients in the conversation. These summaries — which are written by patients, for patients — are intended to help patients understand what imaging tests are most appropriate for their situation, and help ordering physicians and radiologists better communicate with their patients. Recently, the collection reached a milestone of over 50 different clinical scenarios published since its inception.
Our Commission continues to work to increase the involvement of patients and families in their own care while also supporting radiologists and referring providers. We’d love for you to join us. Please visit www.acr.org/PFCCCommission or email PFCC@acr.org to learn more.
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