Commercially available stock medical photos fail to portray the contemporary work of radiologists, found a Belgian study presented at ECR 2025.
Spurred by a calling for better understanding of radiologists' role in healthcare, radiology resident Laura Hartog and colleagues reviewed 200 consecutive "radiologist" keyword-identified images over three stock photo databases. Images were judged on overall quality, image description, descriptive elements, displayed body regions, diagnostic or interventional context, depicted modality, inclusion of medical professionals, and accurate display on the viewing device.
The team found that only 4% of images were displayed on a PACS workstation. More than half showed a radiologist holding up films in the air. The lead person donned a stethoscope in nearly half, the review found. In all, only 9% of the stock photos presented a realistic view of a radiologist’s job, and only 6% received a high overall quality score.
Notably, radiographs were the most frequently depicted modality at 52%, followed by MRI at 21%, and CT at 19%, nearly all with a focus primarily on diagnostic imaging.
Outdated images from stock photo databases limit understanding of modern radiology and the work of radiologists today, according to Hartog and colleagues. "The vast majority of stock photos fail to accurately portray the contemporary role of radiologists, contributing to gross misinterpretation of our profession by the general public," they said.
