Medical Imaging News

February 28, 2007

The People Want to Know

Almost three out of every four Americans want to know what medical conditions are in store for them, even if cures do not currently exist for their malady, according to a recent survey conducted by Directive Analytics for Siemens Medical Solutions.

In a national online poll of 1,111 adults, 35% of respondents indicated they would want to know now if they would be diagnosed sometime in their life with an incurable disease. When queried about the specific affliction, almost 50% stated they would want to know if they would be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Perhaps the willingness to bear this burden for an indeterminate amount of time is a result of the passion many survey participants hold for pursuing remedies for currently incurable illnesses. More than half of all respondents (52%) would "aggressively pursue treatment at any cost" if they found out their future held an untreatable disease.

Researchers also found that women were more aggressive than men in terms of being proactive when faced with a terminal disorder. Women were 28% more likely than men (59% versus 45%) to educate themselves about treatment options and seek treatment at any cost if they were told they would eventually be diagnosed with an incurable disease. Similarly, 16% of men replied that they would "do nothing" if diagnosed with an incurable disease—as compared to just 9% of female respondents.

Despite the desire to act as their own advocates in future health states, the survey found the existing knowledge of the tools and tests available to identify disease was lacking. Only 53% of respondents could accurately identify a PET/CT, the latest imaging machine that can identify such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer's on a cellular level. Nearly 1 out of 4 people believed a PET/CT to be a high-intensity screening device used in airport security.

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