Face to Face

Dr. Hoffmann is 2nd from left

Dear Colleagues,
I found this study, and thought you will enjoy it too.
I am also proud that it was done in my country, Israel.
Shalom and Aloha,
Tamar Hoffmann, Honolulu

Patient photos aid docs reading faceless CT scans
By LINDSEY TANNER
Associated Press, December 2, 2008
CHICAGO (AP) — Imagine sitting in a dark room all day, evaluating CT scans and other medical images on a computer screen but never actually seeing real patients. That's life for many radiologists.
    But an intriguing Israeli study found adding photos of patients' faces to the file made these doctors more meticulous when looking at the X-rays. They reported more details and said they felt more empathy for patients who were otherwise strangers.
    Adding patients' photos is a simple, low-tech way to reap rewards for both doctors and their patients, the researchers concluded. 

This is an extraordinary study.  Low tech.  Low cost.  Implications for a broad range of diagnositc and therapeutic situations, with special refrence to the emerging field of telemedicine.  Download Patient Photos

This biblical quote resonates with the Israeli study:  "For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known." [I Corinthians]