How can radiologists stay relevant in the current day and age?

The first panel discussion on the second day of Radiology and Imaging Conclave was on the topic, ‘How can radiologists stay relevant in the current day and age?’

Harsh Mahajan, Chief Radiologist, Mahajan Imaging, moderated the panel, which had Dr Bhavin Jankharia, Chief Radiologist, Picture This by Jankharia; Dr Bharat Aggarwal, Director, Max Hospital; Dr Raju Sharma, Prof of Radiology, AIIMS and Dr Inder Talwar, HOD Radiology, Bombay Hospital as the panelists.
Mahajan started off by explaining what the future holds for radiologists and how artificial intelligence can have an impact on radiologists. Later, the panelists discussed about the role played by the radiologists in the healthcare sector. They allayed fears of being replaced by newer AI-driven technology and recommended measures that can be taken to make the practice future proof. The discussion also addressed issues on how to remain relevant in today’s world and the changes needed in the way radiologists practise today.

Dr Jankharia elaborated on who what radiologists should aspire to be in the healthcare delivery system. He mentioned that radiologists should be more than just good image readers and need to interact more with patients and treating doctors to improve outcomes.

Dr Aggarwal stated that the biggest challenge in the radiology sector is to bring the young generation of radiologists on a common platform and ensure that they are following ethics properly.

Dr Sharma mentioned that the standard of training are very different across the country and there is lack of uniformity of standards. He emphasised that proper time should be invested to mentor the students to empower the radiology fraternity.

Dr Sharma further emphasised on the need for new students to be exposed to sub-specialisations so that they can have a wholesome clinical educational experience. The need to understand about the importance of ‘human touch’ in radiology was also discussed during the panel.

Need for organ-based sub-specialisations and sufficient clinical rounds to sustain progress and gain 360o growth in radiology was also mentioned during the panel discussion.

The panelists also agreed that radiologists should undertake six-months rotation training in general medicine before going in for radiology.

Dr Jankharia opined that new comers should set aside their fear of doing anything which could create a problem and agreed that six-months to one-year training in general medicine will indeed instil confidence among the newcomers. The panelists agreed to take bold steps in order to forge a path toward progress.

Mahajan requested Express Healthcare to come out with a paper on the issues of the current curriculum in radiology. He also spoke on how the how new curriculum can be designed with help from NITI Aayog and MoH&FW to bring in a real change for new radiologists.

Further, discussions were also addressed the trust deficit among patients, a bigger challenge for today’s radiologists. They all agreed that innovation and training, a more hands-on approach will be the future for new radiologists.

Key highlights:

• Panelists discussed the role played by radiologists in healthcare, addressed the fear of being replaced by newer AI-driven technology and recommended measures that can be taken to make the practice future proof
• New students need to be exposed to sub-specialisations so that they can have a wholesome clinical educational experience. Also, they need to understand the importance of ‘human touch’ in radiology
• There is no uniformity in the standard of training across the country; radiology fraternity needs to approach the government so that these changes can be made to curriculum and internship patterns
• Radiologists need to do organ-based sub-specialisations and sufficient clinical rounds to sustain their progress and gain 360o growth
• We are facing a trust deficit at the patients’ end. An average patient doesn’t trust the healthcare system. That makes it even more important for radiologists to be involved with a patient’s diagnosis at a personal level