Radiologists who see their patient's photograph are more meticulous in making their diagnoses. Thus, including a photo of the patient with a CT scan improves the quality of radiology interpretations. When a photo was not included, the radiologists were 80% less likely when looking for one problem, such as kidney stones, to find another, such as an unanticipated cancer.
Full story here.
One more reason to carry pocket sized photos with you. Maybe with a note (“give photo to radiologist”) just in cse you end up unconscious in an emergency room.
Good point, Ken. And although the study doesn’t get into this, I would think a little air brushing couldn’t hurt.