ASNC/IANC Research Fellow Reveals the Future of Patient-centered Reporting in MPI

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute cardiology fellow, Krishna Patel, MD, was the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology's (ASNC) 2018 Institute for the Advancement of Nuclear Cardiology (IANC) Research Award winner. Her ASNC-IANC-funded project, “Patient-centered Reporting in Myocardial Perfusion Imaging: Development and Pilot-testing a Framework for Incorporating Patient-centered Decision Support in MPI Reports,” is now underway.

The IANC Research Fellowship Award was created to support research grants and advance the field of nuclear cardiology.

Cardiology fellow Krishna Patel, MD, presented an update on her research into patient-friendly reporting of cardiac imaging results at the ASNC's 24th Annual Scientific Session 2019 session, “Machine Learning in SPECT MPI Applications." Dr. Patel detailed what she has learned about how patients are currently receiving their results, what patients really want from MPI reports, and how both patients and referring clinicians are responding to the tool that her team at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute is piloting.

Dr. Patel highlighted the main themes from focus groups and surveys about how patients want their stress test results to be structured. “Patients are interested in receiving structured written reports that explain their results in simple language, possibly with visual aids,” she said. “They also want information that answers common questions and terminology; offers guidance about what they could expect based on their results; and how they can improve their cardiac risk.”

Dr. Patel showed the ASNC2019 audience their patient-friendly structured report, which has the potential to deliver what patients described as their expectations. A panel of referring clinicians—who initially had reservations about the practicalities of patients’ requests—also reviewed the tool. Some said they would like to receive their patients’ imaging results in a format similar to the tool developed for patients.  

Watch the video below to learn more about the project.