By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Inattentional Blindness and the Invisible Gorilla Study: Are Radiologists at Risk?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Education > Inattentional Blindness and the Invisible Gorilla Study: Are Radiologists at Risk?
DiagnosticsMedical EducationRadiologySpecialties

Inattentional Blindness and the Invisible Gorilla Study: Are Radiologists at Risk?

erica.carnevale
Last updated: March 28, 2013 8:15 am
erica.carnevale
Share
4 Min Read
radiologists inattentional blindness
SHARE

radiologists inattentional blindnessNPR released an article recently that talked about the Invisible Gorilla Study, which is a piece of research that explains why when you ask someone to perform a challenging task their attention narrows and blocks out other things.

radiologists inattentional blindnessNPR released an article recently that talked about the Invisible Gorilla Study, which is a piece of research that explains why when you ask someone to perform a challenging task their attention narrows and blocks out other things. This behavior is called “inattentional blindness” and when a similar study was conducted with radiologists, 83% of them missed the gorilla in the image. This was due to the fact that the radiologists in the study weren’t focused on looking for a gorilla, but the lesions, tumors, etc. that they seek out on a routine basis.

A statistic like this can raise some questions among patients and the radiological community in general. The most obvious question being that if radiologists are looking for something specific, does this mean that they could miss signs that aren’t tied to an exam’s original purpose?

We reached out to Dr. Roger Eng, chairman of radiology, Chinese Hospital, and president of Golden Gate Radiology Medical Group, to get some answers about ‘inattentional blindness’ and what radiologists can do to combat it.

More Read

Why Multi-Media Reporting Is a Necessity in Today’s Medical Imaging Industry
Is a Career in Naturopathic Medicine Right for You?
The Importance of Lipoma Examination in Cancer Prevention
Medicine Made for You: What Is Personalized Healthcare All About?
Nurse Practitioners Can Take Some of the Pressure Off Doctor Shortage

Is there technology available that might help address ‘inattentional blindness’?

Recently, there has been more interest among vendors in addressing performance and quality aspects of the interpretive part of imaging. How does a radiologist approach evaluating an Abdominal CT scan? Followed by: how does he communicate those findings in written format to the referring clinician and/or patient? PACS systems may eventually offer the ability to double check if the radiologist mentioned specific findings or aid in identifying potential pathology outside of the breast and lung. Systems that decrease interruptions and allow the radiologist to focus more on interpretation itself will also help.

Can a radiologist train him/herself to overcome ‘inattentional blindness’?

A large body of evidence has shown there is significant variability in interpreting imaging studies. Part of this is due to inherent limitations in imaging technology differentiating normal from abnormal, along with the human error component. We also cannot underestimate the importance of clinical context of an imaging exam which is the interplay of multiple disparate data points from laboratory to patient history. IBM’s Watson supercomputer can trounce the best Jeopardy champion in raw knowledge, but cannot match the relational capabilities of human brain.

Radiologists may find answers from other industries where organizations and their personnel standardize workflow processes. Airline pilots and their checklists is the most obvious example that comes to mind.

Do you personally do anything to guard against this?

My practice approaches each imaging modality in a consistent algorithm. This workflow process is adjusted as data presents an improved way. Moreover, I am fortunate to be using RIS and PACS technology that minimizes the extraneous steps and distractions that can lead to inattention blindness.

(image: inattentional blindness & gorilla study/shutterstock)

TAGGED:inattentional blindness
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

Physicians Oppose Increased Certification Requirements

September 1, 2011

Welcome New Interns and Residents

July 3, 2011
home DNA test
SpecialtiesWellness

Live A Better & Healthier Life By Solving Your DNA Puzzle!

July 9, 2019
Medical Education

How to Game Mortality Data

May 31, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?