CAR - Canadian Association of Radiologists

The Canadian Association of Radiologists is the national specialty association for radiologists, dedicated to medical imaging excellence in patient care

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MAP

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“While great progress has been made in early detection and treatment, breast cancer remains the most common cancer in Canadian women over the age of 20 and one in seven women with breast cancer will receive their diagnosis in their 40s,” said Sandra Palmaro, CEO, and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Ontario Region. “The Foundation supports the CAR guidelines addressing screening mammography and encourages all women aged 40-49 to talk to a health care provider about the benefits and limitations of mammography and what is right for them. Evidence shows that screening women in this age group helps save lives.”

Mammography Accreditation Program (MAP)

The CAR Mammography Accreditation Program (MAP) is an initiative instituted over 20 years ago to ensure that the quality of mammography images meets the highest standards. This voluntary program offers radiologists the opportunity for peer review and evaluation of their facility's staff qualifications, equipment performance, quality control and quality assurance programs, image quality, dose and processor quality control.

Patient safety through continuous quality improvement is the objective of MAP. It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that, when a patient has a mammogram, it is completed in a manner that exposes him or her to the lowest possible radiation dose and risk, and ultimately results in an image that the radiologist can accurately interpret.

Facilities seeking accreditation by the CAR MAP are assessed for compliance in the four quality areas of the program:

Personnel Requirements: The RIGHT PEOPLE to conduct a quality examination and oversee the rendering of optimal diagnostic images.

Quality Control: The APPROPRIATE TESTS are completed through the implementation of a quality assurance program and monitored QC to ensure the acquisition and presentation of optimal quality medical images.

Equipment Specifications: The RIGHT EQUIPMENT operating in the manner it was intended.

Breast Image Quality: A SYSTEMATIC IMAGE ASSESSMENT by a qualified reviewer, ensuring the facility regularly evaluates the quality of its diagnostic images and the associated radiation doses.

These quality areas are assessed through the different stages of the accreditation process: the application, image evaluation as well as the maintenance of accreditation status and then the cycle begins anew.

Today, over 500 facilities enjoy the benefits of being accredited through the CAR, and this number continues to grow. Facilities successfully completing all the CAR requirements will be granted accreditation for a three-year period and will be listed on the CAR website.

Read Standards

As of 2019 there is an increase in the requirement of the minimum number of mammography exams reported by a radiologist. The requirement is increasing from 480 to 1,000. The published literature has shown that higher reading volumes are associated with improved sensitivity and specificity. Many countries require between 2,000 and 5,000 reads per radiologist. Increasing the number of reads to 1,000 will positively improve patient outcomes. This increase will also bring the CAR Mammography Accreditation Program (MAP) more in line with evidence-based standards. Please see the following FAQ for additional information.

Read Standard FAQ

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