On October 19^th the CAR hosted its 8^th Annual Day on the Hill. This date was selected to coincide with the CAR Board Meeting in Ottawa. The purpose of the Day on the Hill is to advocate for the advancement of radiology at the national level and to raise awareness of the important role that radiologists play in the healthcare system. This year, the CAR partnered with the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT) and Sonography Canada to develop recommendations to address the medical imaging crisis in Canada. Read More

Acquiring knowledge is often a critical first step in making meaningful change within a health care organization. The purpose of the CAR’s new CT Accreditation Program (CTAP) is to help organizations and facilities analyze data to better understand their own processes, policies, and technologies, with the aim of ensuring the highest possible standard of CT care. Read More

Do you know how many CT examinations were performed in your department last year? How many of those were head exams, or neck? Which exams were performed the most or least frequently? The CAR’s CT Accreditation Program (CTAP), which is nearing the completion of its pilot stage at Niagara Health under the leadership of Diagnostic Imaging Director Dr. Julian Dobranowski (McMaster University), is designed to analyze data points from imaging departments to develop metrics that drive change and maintain high standards of operation. It is a voluntary program for facilities that want to increase CT standards for their patients through continuous quality improvement. Read More

Celebrating the achievements of a very successful CAR Annual Scientific Meeting this past April, I have begun to embrace my role representing you as your President. The CAR is working on your behalf on many levels to help our members be more successful in their practices. Read More

Provided by the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA)

Healthcare providers have an ethical, professional, and legal obligation to disclose to patient harm that arises from healthcare delivery. In cases where pathological analysis or diagnostic imaging have been misinterpreted, it may be appropriate for the pathologist or radiologist to participate in the disclosure process. Participating in discussions with patients is often complicated by the fact that pathologists and radiologists typically do not have direct interaction with patients. Read More

As the fall season ramps up, advocacy is top of mind for the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR). With parliament returning to session, it is an ideal opportunity for the CAR to resume our efforts in improving access to medical imaging for Canadians. In the last couple of weeks, we have been successful in getting the message out to the public through media coverage. Dr. Ania Kielar, CAR Vice-President spoke to Global News and CFRA 580 Ottawa about the need for a federal investment of $1 billion in new medical imaging equipment and the development of a health human resources strategy that incorporates radiology. Read More

From September 22-24 the CAR Board of Directors gathered in Halifax, Nova Scotia to discuss the upcoming priorities for the fall and to undertake the development of a new strategic plan for the next five years. Despite the challenges presented from Hurricane Fiona, the Board, with representatives from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan (2), Ontario (2), Quebec (2), New Brunswick (2), Nova Scotia, the ACR and a resident representing the Resident and Fellow Section, weathered the storm and had a very productive discussion. The meeting kicked off with a presentation from Dr. Gilles Soulez, CAR President, summarizing the successes and highlights of the last several months. Read More

With the warmer weather upon us, for many of our members the focus is on summer vacations. I hope that you have been able to get away from work to recharge your batteries. I would like to thank our members for their continued support and recognize the many radiologist leaders who have taken time out of their hectic schedules, even through prime vacation season, to support and lead initiatives that will have a significant impact on patient care in Canada. Read More

The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) is aware of the global shortage of iodinated contrast media (ICM). The CAR has been monitoring the situation at a national level with both our radiologist members and industry partners. In addition, the CAR has met with Health Canada to gain a better understanding of its efforts to monitor and respond to the shortage, and we have made an outreach to the federal Minister of Health to request a coordinated national response and public statement on this issue.  The following statement provides updated information for the Canadian medical imaging community about Health Canada’s mechanisms to monitor the shortage, and the efforts of manufacturers to mitigate the risk to Canadian patients. Additionally, it summarizes risk mitigation strategies relevant to this and any future shortages of ICM.   Read More

To help improve equality in access to healthcare, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation will be providing funding for an innovative project focused on improving access to healthcare for remote communities. This was made possible through a donation of $1 million from TD Bank Group. Read More

The CAR recently developed a contrast agent infographic to inform patients, families, and the public about types of contrast, common uses, and the patient experience with medical imaging that uses contrast. The infographic can be displayed by radiologists in their facilities across Canada and promoted online. It is a patient-facing document that addresses common patient concerns. This project was championed by CAR members Drs. Marco Essig (University of Manitoba) and Nick Schieda (University of Ottawa). Read More

In response to member requests for formal guidance for radiologists, the CAR issued a position statement on the discontinuation of gonadal and fetal shielding for patients undergoing diagnostic X-ray examination. Routine shielding of patients remains common practice despite current scientific evidence that the practice provides negligible or no benefit and carries a substantial risk of increasing the patient’s radiation dose and compromising the diagnostic efficacy of imaging. Read More

As previously announced, the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) working in collaboration with national medical bodies and specialty societies is undertaking an update of the 13 Diagnostic Imaging Referral Guidelines. The project mandate is to “Produce a comprehensive set of evidence-based diagnostic imaging referral guidelines as a public good that are context-specific to the Canadian healthcare system. These guidelines will be produced following the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluations (GRADE) framework, with recommendations integrated into a clinical decision support (CDS) system.” The inaugural working group meeting took place in January 2021, where Trauma was selected as the pilot section for this new initiative. Read More

We are pleased to announce that the CAR Mammography Accreditation Program (MAP) is going digital.

In spring 2021, the CAR will launch a new accreditation information system. With the new system, MAP-accredited facilities and associated personnel will provide all required information and documents exclusively online, including images. The new portal will also provide detailed guidance at each stage of the accreditation process. Questions and concerns about accreditation requirements can be addressed quickly and easily from within the portal. Read More

Announcing a Canadian Association of Radiologists’ project to enhance patient referrals, in collaboration with national specialty societies. Today, the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR), with support from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), is pleased to announce the initiation of a national project focused on the integration of diagnostic imaging referral guidelines into digital Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems in Canada. Canada’s radiology community will co-develop national referral guidelines for medical imaging, helping to support referring physicians in selecting the best imaging tests for their patients. These evidence-based, peer-reviewed guidelines will be made freely available to guide healthcare professionals in their implementation of CDS systems to enhance care and enable better communication among physicians. Read More

Letter from Dr. Nancy Wadden, Chair MAP Steering Committee

Earlier this month the CAR provided guidance to the Mammography Accreditation Program (MAP) facilities regarding program requirements given that most facilities across the country have resumed their services following disruptions caused by the pandemic. In 2021, the CAR will review the volumes of facilities and radiologists based on the entire previous calendar year (Jan 1-Dec 31, 2020). Read More

Re-starting the continuum of patient care – guidance for the resumption of radiology services

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The purpose of these recommendations is to provide guidance and information to the radiology community regarding the safe conduct of imaging and image-guided intervention in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. For more information regarding image-guided procedures you can refer to specific guidelines issued by the CAIR and the CAR. Read More

By Dr. Michael Patlas MD, FRCP, FASER FCAR FSAR These are difficult times for our healthcare system as a global pandemic sweeps the world. Reports of confirmed cases are on a steady incline and every day we are hearing more and more stories on impacted nations including our own. Radiologists have an important role to play in the diagnosis and assessment of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Read More

A normal chest CT scan cannot exclude the diagnosis of COVID-19 especially for patients with recent onset of symptoms. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the final diagnosis of COVID-19 infection should be confirmed by a positive RT-PCR test. Read More