Showing imaging results may change behaviour

Showing patients medical images of their clogged arteries may encourage them to improve their health, but more evidence is needed to confirm it as an effective approach, concludes a recent Cochrane review. “Providing individuals with their test results which reveal impaired bodily function (such as a scan image of arterial plaque) and being talked through the details of implications this has for their health … may aid in the communication of health risks and motivate behaviour change,” the study authors wrote. They analysed nine trials involving 1,371 patients who were shown medical images of their body to see if it prompted any change in their attitudes or behaviour towards health. Of three clinical trials that assessed smoking cessation with interventions involving arterial scanning through ultrasonography or computed tomography, all trials showed statistically significant effects favouring the intervention (P=0.01). Participants who saw images relating to their cardiovascular health were nearly three times more likely to engage in smoking cessation behaviours than those not allocated to the intervention group. Although only one trial independently showed a statistically significant difference between groups, and the pool of data was relatively small, the authors said the results “still suggest that interventions including arterial imaging feedback increase smoking cessation to a significant degree”. However, they added that the validity of the trial should be considered with “caution” as the sample size was small and predominantly composed of male light smokers. Importantly, they noted that the limited nature and mixed results of data used in the review mean that “no strong statements” can be made about the effectiveness of communicating medical imaging results to change health behaviour. “We suggest, however, that targeted interventions using medical imaging technologies may be effective in certain contexts, or as applied to certain behaviours, but that this should be considered on an intervention by intervention basis, and not assumed as a general principle,” they concluded. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD007434...