by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | November 13, 2014
From the October 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
European Society of Radiology president, professor Lorenzo Bonomo, spoke with HCBN about trends and trials across the pond.
The challenge of radiology in Europe Europe is composed of many countries which vary greatly in terms of size, population, and organization of health care and education systems. Processes for harmonizing these systems among the states have begun, but some time will be required to reach the objective of a Europe without significant differences in education, research and health care organization.
Since its foundation, the European Society of Radiology has always been committed to reducing the existing differences regarding the education of European Radiologists. Nowadays, the main challenge is represented by the harmonization of quality and safety, education and training, and research and technology.
To improve quality and safety in medical imaging the ESR calls on the European institutions to:
• Support the establishment of European quality and safety indicators as well as imaging parameters that include specific criteria for imaging procedures.
• Support an audit of imaging equipment in Europe and to develop plans to modernize and improve the equipment base in member states
• Support efforts to improve communication with patients
• Improve inter-institutional cooperation for more coherent action in the area of health and medical imaging
To enhance the mobility of imaging professionals in the EU through training and education the ESR calls on the European institutions to:
• Support the harmonization of training for radiologists across the EU by endorsing the European Training Curriculum and the European Diploma in Radiology
• Support mandatory continuous medical education and continuous professional development for medical professionals throughout the EU.
Trends in Europe
The diagnostic imaging market is estimated to grow at a stable rate over the coming years.
Increasing applications of diagnostic procedures, growing awareness about early disease diagnosis among the public, and the prevalence of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders are some of the factors driving the growth of the market.
CT scanners and hybrid imaging equipment market segments are expected to show the highest growth among all market segments due to their use in diagnosing quite a large number of diseases.
We are currently witnessing two phenomena that significantly affect the medical imaging market:
