CAR President Dr. Ania Kielar shares highlights from this past year
The pandemic had a dramatic impact on healthcare delivery over the last few years. Although the acute pressures of COVID-19 are mostly behind us, patients continue to face lengthy waitlists for medical imaging. This is due to an array of variables including health human resource (HHR) shortages in radiology departments and a lack of modern medical imaging equipment. We are also seeing high levels of burnout among radiology professionals. These challenges are present across the country.
The CAR is heavily focused on advocacy, and we are pressing for both financial investments in imaging equipment renewal/expansion as well as the development of a national HHR strategy, which would include a long-term plan for sustaining the radiology workforce in Canada. The Board of Directors and CAR staff have been working with Health Canada and other divisions at the federal level to take a leadership role in these areas. We are also working with our provincial societies in Alberta, Quebec, and Nova Scotia to ensure that our messaging is aligned at the provincial level. Additionally, we have partnered with other national organizations including the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists and Sonography Canada in our efforts to raise awareness for these priorities as a collective.
We had a very successful Day on Parliament Hill where your board representatives met with Senators, Deputy Ministers, and Members of Parliament. Our message is being heard and we are optimistic that there will be movement to address the shortage of the radiology workforce and support for new technologies that can help address workflow challenges in radiology departments across the country.
The CAR is also focused on supporting our members in many other ways, including the development of practice and referral guidelines to be integrated into Clinical Decision Support Systems. It is anticipated that the referral guidelines will be complete by the end of 2024. We will then work with partners to package these electronically and provide open access to referring health professionals across the country.
Quality is of the utmost importance to the CAR and our members. We have a very successful Mammography Accreditation Program and, building on this success, we will continue to expand by introducing new accreditation programs including CT, MRI, and ultrasound. We are also nearing the completion of a national lung cancer screening program, QUEST Lung, available on RAD Academy for all members.
We pride ourselves on having a robust education program. All CAR members have access to our online learning management system, RAD Academy, as a benefit of membership. There are over 170 accredited courses where radiologists can earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits that are recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. We also host a large radiology meeting in Montréal every year, the CAR Annual Scientific Meeting and, in 2023, we had record attendance with nearly 700 people.
Research and Innovation is an important priority for the CAR. Under the leadership of Dr. Jaron Chong, Chair, AI Standing Committee, we are developing a Radiology AI Validation Network (RAIVN) to facilitate post marketing surveillance of AI software in collaboration with Health Canada. This will help to evaluate AI solutions that will improve our radiology performance in a Canadian environment. The idea is to start with radiology and broaden the scope to other areas of healthcare.
Membership continues to grow with our Resident and Fellow Section and Medical Student Network. Our Affiliate Societies – the CanSPR, the CETARS, the CSAR and the CSTR – have been actively recruiting new members and have taken a leadership role in guideline development and education. Also new this year is the recently established Canadian Society of Skeletal Radiology (CSSR).
With the support of our members and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers, the CAR is more prominent than ever, and radiologists are being seen more, heard more, and better understood. We also have a footprint on the global stage with many strong international partnerships with various societies.
Special acknowledgement to our Board of Directors who have done an amazing job in representing their peers and for being the voice of radiology in Canada. We are privileged to be supported by an outstanding staff led by Nick Neuheimer, CEO. Kudos to the whole team!
Our focus on advocacy, education, guideline development and building strong partnerships in the medical community continues to help the CAR position radiology at the forefront of patient care. I am predicting a stellar year in 2024 as we continue to expand on our programs and advocacy work. Our success is directly attributed to our members. We are grateful for your continued support and the leadership of our volunteers.
Wishing you and your families a safe and joyful holiday season.
Dr. Ania Kielar
President of the Canadian Association of Radiologists