I find one button on Powerscribe more satisfying than almost any other. No, it’s not the sign button, although signing off a study feels quite rewarding. Indeed, it’s not the auto text button. However, I press that one all the time to make my templates. And it does shorten my dictation time. Instead, it is that button typically buried in the edit menu of Powerscribe, the lowly undo button. I can’t tell you how many times I clicked the wrong button to lose half my dictation. And then I clicked on the Undo button to restore it to how it was.
Most of you are aware of this undo function. It returns anything you did before to its previous state as long as it was a line of spoken text, a cut, or a paste. But imagine not knowing about its existence. Well, that was my world as an attending physician for a good year or two. Now, it is embarrassing to release this information to the masses. But I have to let it out. It is true. I spent eons trying to recreate what I had dictated before without knowing there was a simple way to retrieve the information. I was not aware of the existence of the undo button for way too long. Imagine that.
The Undo Button: A Symptom Of A Bigger Problem With Radiology And Technology
This point about the undo button brings me to one of the most significant technical radiology issues. We, as radiologists, don’t know about so many computer and technology functions that can potentially make our lives easier and shorten our days. Now, maybe this issue is somewhat magnified because I have reached middle age, but I don’t think that is the case.
I have seen younger physicians, like residents and early attendings, who need to learn how to link two studies together and compare them slice by slice. I have seen other attendings needing to be made aware of the simple functions of our software for calcium scoring, which would have saved them tons of time. And there are many other time-saving technology tools I am unaware of. If all the radiologists were to pool their technology know-how together, we would all shave off an extra hour of work every day. So, why do we not receive the technical training we need to make us more efficient at our job?
Radiologists Do Not Receive Formal Training Because We Are Expected To Learn On Our Own
Many radiologists jump headfirst into the world of dictation and PACS without receiving any formal training. Many of you who work for hospitals and imaging centers know what I am talking about. As a resident, I cannot remember any technology folks training the residents on using PACS. That same philosophy has continued throughout the years. Hospitals and imaging centers expect us to use our highly paid professional time to figure it all out independently.
Technology Trainers Don’t Know How To Train Radiologists
Several things happen when we get the “training” we need from the technology folks. First, they show you what you can do and allow you to play around with everything. And then they say you need to use it for a while to get accustomed to it. While that is undoubtedly true, we often miss out on multiple functions and knowledge that can increase our efficiency. The problem is that the technology experts training you are not radiologists. And they will never know the most important functions we need to use.
Lack Of Time/Money Dedicated Toward Training
Or, once in a while, you will get an excellent technology expert who will try to help you by creating hanging protocols, setting easy keys, and more. Some may become irritated when they realize they need to sit down with you for an extended period to make the technology precisely how you like. Or, the institution received a package deal that included limited training for the radiologists. The bottom line is that you may receive less education than you need.
Learning The Undo Button: A Simple Solution To Improve Workplace Efficiency
So, why do I bring up an entire blog about a simple undo button and the issues that go along with it? Well, it is a cry for good, down-to-earth technology instruction that every radiologist should have. We, as radiologists, hear about burnout and misery all the time. But, it is the little things that make radiologists happy. Radiologists are highly paid professionals who should become as efficient as possible to save time and money. Many excellent radiologists have left the field because of simple technology inefficiencies such as this one. Coming home 20 minutes earlier every day to be with our families should be a much bigger priority for radiology practices and hospitals. Improving radiologists’ technical and computer training is a simple and relatively inexpensive fix.
