Interventional Radiology Awareness Among Specialists: Existing Landscape and Opportunities for Progress

To evaluate awareness of interventional radiology (IR) among specialist physicians and other providers and identify areas where specialists’ knowledge of IR may be improved.

Materials and Methods: An 18-question survey was electronically distributed to surgical specialists, non-surgical specialists, and specialty group advanced practice providers (APPs) at a single institution. Participants answered demographic questions and were surveyed regarding their experience with IR and knowledge of the specialty.
 


Results:

A total of 516/1,409 (36.6%) recipients completed the survey, including 204 (39.5%) surgical specialists, 235 (45.5%) non-surgical specialists, and 76 (14.7%) specialty group APPs. Most specialist physicians reported an adequate (219, 49.8%) or good (151, 34.3%) understanding of IR, although many were unaware of IR’s role in treating infertility, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and bone cancer (35.7%, 40.9%, 51.4%, respectively). While most had consulted IR before (429, 97.5%), fewer had directly referred a patient to IR for an elective procedure (320, 72.7%). Only 44 (10%) specialist physicians indicated they offered patients IR alternatives to surgery more than 50% of the time. Most physicians (258, 58.6%) expressed an interest in learning more about IR, and (307, 69.8%) reported they would refer more patients to IR if they had more knowledge about the specialty.

Conclusion: Specialist providers lack awareness of IR, and educational initiatives to improve knowledge of the specialty are warranted. Most specialists are interested in learning more about IR and would refer additional patients if they knew more about the specialty.