Do medical images aid understanding and recall of medical information? An experimental study comparing the experience of viewing no image, a 2D medical image and a 3D medical image alongside a diagnosis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the experience of viewing 3D medical images, 2D medical images and no image presented alongside a diagnosis. METHODS: We conducted two laboratory experiments, each with 126 healthy participants. Participants heard three diagnoses; one accompanied by 3D medical images, one accompanied by 2D medical images and one with no image. Participants completed a questionnaire after each diagnosis rating their experience. In Experiment 2, half of the participants were informed that image interpretation can be susceptible to errors. RESULTS: Participants preferred to view 3D images alongside a diagnosis (p<0.001) and reported greater understanding (p<0.001), perceived accur..