Patient scans on a laptop with a speech bubble above the laptop

Bringing joy back to the reading room

How AI can help radiologists beat burnout

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  • A brain

    Flipping the switch for artificial intelligence (AI) and radiology

    AI isn’t a replacement for radiologists. It can be a dependable tool for assisting them with the lifesaving work of accurately detecting, diagnosing, documenting and monitoring disease in today’s reading rooms.

    In the face of widespread burnout and high patient volumes, AI can help by increasing efficiency and easing workload.

A hand holding an x-ray

A scan of the industry

  • 49% of radiologists are burned out¹

  • Radiology ranks 8th in burnout among 29 physician specialties¹


Top 5 factors contributing to burnout, according to radiologists¹

A bar chart: blue column at 60%, light blue column at 50%, green column at 47%, medium gray column at 30% and light gray column at 29%
  • A blue square corresponding with the 60% column in the bar chart

    Lack of respect from administrators/employers, colleagues or staff

  • A light blue square corresponding with the 50% column in the bar chart

    Too many work hours*

  • A green square corresponding with the 47% column in the bar chart

    Lack of control/autonomy

  • A medium gray square corresponding with the 30% column in the bar chart

    Too many bureaucratic tasks*

  • A light gray square corresponding with the 29% column in the bar chart

    Insufficient compensation

  • *This is where AI can help.

How do radiologists address burnout?

  • Only 6% indicated they made workflow or staff changes.¹ More radiology teams can combat burnout with workflow adjustments.

A brain

Making the right use of AI

AI-powered diagnostic interpretations may be feasible in the long term, but non-interpretive AI is already impacting radiology reporting workflows today and can quickly provide value.² For instance, natural language understanding (NLU) and computer-assisted physician documentation (CAPD) can reduce the burden of administrative tasks and boost workflow efficiency.

These technologies help by:

  • Arrows pointing down
    Reducing rework and burnout from repetitive tasks
  • A head with a gear and a check mark
    Easing the cognitive burden caused by a rapid reading pace
  • A patient getting an x-ray
    Creating more time to spend on patients’ images

But simply having technology in place doesn’t automatically eliminate burnout. For AI to make the biggest difference, it should fit into radiologists’ existing workflows. Because in imaging, every click counts and every second adds up.

  • A radiologist’s perspective

    "It could only be seconds, but every time I have to go to the list, think about the study to choose and wait for it to open, that is time lost. And that time isn’t lost to productivity, it is lost to burnout."

    - Rishi Seth, MD, neuroradiologist, Fairfax Radiological Consultants

A head with a gear

Tackling administrative burden

An advanced speech-driven reporting solution, 3M™ M*Modal Fluency for Imaging helps radiologists create higher quality diagnostic interpretations faster by combining:

  • A person speaking into a phone
    Top ranking front-end speech recognition
  • A clock inside a gear
    Productivity enhancing tools
  • A hand holding a medical chart
    AI-powered clinical insights

Mix and match customization options include the ability to seamlessly integrate partner solutions with 3M Fluency for Imaging. For instance, 3M partner Rad AI offers Omni, an add-on solution that generates automated report impressions in 0.5-3 seconds.³

A bar chart trending upwards

Get more done more quickly

With the help of AI, radiologists can:

  • Speech waves with a check mark

    Trust the technology

  • A coffee cup

    Take a breather

    Lower the number of dictated words by up to 35% and save 60+ minutes per day by reviewing automatically generated impressions³

  • A person working on a laptop

    Focus on what’s most important

    Offload repetitive activities that tax time and attention to focus on expert image interpretation and diagnosis


Ready to take the next step?

Find out how 3M M*Modal imaging solutions can take on administrative tasks for your radiology team.

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We’re excited to show you what 3M™ M*Modal Fluency for Imaging can do!

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References

¹Baggett, S. M., & Martin, K. L. (2022, February 18). Medscape Radiologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2022. Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2022-lifestyle-radiologist-6014784

²Towbin, A. J. (2020, February 17). Non-Interpretive AI Offers High-Impact Solutions. American College of Radiology Data Science Institute. https://www.acrdsi.org/DSIBlog/2020/02/17/20/01/Non-Interpretive-AI-Offers-High-Impact-Solutions

³Rad AI. (2022). Rad AI Omni. https://www.radai.com/omni