In a first, a special issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR^®) explores radiology patient engagement from the patient perspective. Original articles provide valuable insights to help radiologists make the care they provide more patient-centered.

“This issue is a first for the Journal of the American College of Radiology: Patients, caregivers and advocates serve as co-authors or reviewers, in other words, co-producers of meaningful content,” said James V. Rawson, MD, FACR, chair of the American College of Radiology (ACR) Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care. “Radiologists are redefining health care delivery; we are innovating, improving and delivering value to the doctor-patient relationship,” he added.

The free-access issue, centering on radiology and radiation oncology, represents “a journey” for both radiologists and radiology, said Rawson. In 14 articles (including a four-page graphic novel, 3 CME articles, 2 opinion items and a case study) and an introduction, these topics are explored: the intersection of quality improvement and patient experience, the role of shared decision making in oncology (including breast cancer care), design of an ideal patient portal, use of social media platforms and reducing patient barriers to medical literature access.

Articles include:

Patient and Family Centered Care—Why Radiology?
Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Primer
Using Quality Improvement Methods to Improve Patient Experience
Lessons Learned From Two Decades of Patient- and Family-Centered Care in Radiology, Part 1: Getting Started
Lessons Learned from Two Decades of Patient- and Family-Centered Care in Radiology Part 2: Building a Culture
Promising Approaches From Behavioral Economics to Improve Patient Lung Cancer Screening Decisions
Focusing on the “Person” in Personalized Medicine: The Future of Patient-Centered Care in Radiation Oncology
Radiology as the Point of Cancer Patient and Care Team Engagement: Applying the 4R Model at a Patient’s Breast Cancer Care Initiation
Difficult Doctors, Difficult Patients: Building Empathy
An Asynchronous Online Collaboration Between Radiologists and Patients: Harnessing the Power of Informatics to Design the Ideal Patient Portal
Web Applications for Patient Communication
Implications of Direct Patient Online Access to Radiology Reports Through Patient Web Portals
Social Media and the Patient Experience
Patient and Family Engagement in Research in Era 3
Tale of Two Perspectives on Cancer: What I Wish I Knew Before Cancer — Radiologist and Patient Perspectives

JACR is the official journal of the American College of Radiology, providing information on topics affecting the practice of diagnostic radiologists, interventional radiologists, medical physicists and radiation oncologists. JACR is radiology’s only peer-reviewed journal focused on issues relating to clinical practice, practice management, health services and policy, and education and training. For related information, visit the journal’s blog or participate in its Twitter chats.