Radiologists do a better job reading scans when they also have a picture of a patient's face, according to a new study.

"Our study emphasizes approaching the patient as a human being and not as an anonymous case study," said Dr. Yehonatan N. Turner of the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

Radiologists often have to interpret and MRI or other scan without ever meeting a patient. And technology means that, more and more, the work can be done from many miles away.

Turner said he hopes to fight against that anonymity.

For the study, 318 patients referred for CT scans agreed to be photographed prior to the exam. The images of the patients were added to their files and appeared automatically when a patient's file was opened.

After interpreting the results of the exams, 15 radiologists were surveyed. All said they felt more empathy toward the patients after viewing their photos. In addition, the photographs revealed medical information such as suffering or physical signs of disease.

The results also showed that radiologists provided a more meticulous reading of the image.

The radiologists said seeing the patients didn't take any longer and agreed that the photos should be part of standard practice.

"The photos were very helpful both in terms of improving diagnosis and the physicians' own feelings as caregivers," Turner said. "Down the road, we would like to see photos added to all radiology case files."

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.