Dear AuntMinnie Member,
It's no secret in radiology that the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) was having a bit of an identity crisis. Maturation of the PACS industry was threatening the society and its annual meeting with irrelevance as attention shifted away from a radiology-centric informatics model toward one with enterprise IT at the center.
But 2014 could be seen as the year SIIM got its mojo back. The society has evolved to fit the changing IT environment, acknowledging that while enterprise IT still rules, radiology has an important role to play.
SIIM 2014's focus on data analytics is a great example. A common theme at the meeting was that the new era of healthcare accountability requires careful analysis of the data being collected by today's information systems, followed by implementation of quality improvement strategies based on that analysis -- the core of the big data concept.
Imaging data are so complex that only radiology-oriented professionals can truly understand it, the idea goes. Furthermore, their accrued knowledge and experience with managing complex clinical workflow -- skills that IT staff often just don't have -- will offer considerable value in the enterprise IT era.
Sure, SIIM probably will never achieve the prominence and growth it once had in the glory years. But SIIM 2014 demonstrated that the meeting still has a role to play in imaging informatics, and it will continue to provide value to those who attend.
Our SIIM 2014 coverage includes articles on the following:
- Top 10 social media tips for radiologists
- How analytics gives radiology a "macroscope" for medical data
- How informatics is key to unlocking the looming arrival of big data in healthcare
- DICOM structured reporting tools' ability to improve ultrasound dictation times
Multispecialty radiologists
The ongoing slump in the job market for radiologists is having widespread ramifications. One of them is that many radiology trainees, faced with heavy competition for their first job, are resorting to second fellowships to gain additional training that will make them more desirable, according to a new perspective piece by Dr. Saurabh Jha.
This creates an arms race in radiology education that essentially lengthens the de facto training period for radiologists to one that is far longer than most other medical specialties -- as long as training for residents in cardiac surgery, Dr. Jha points out.
And the change in structure for the board exams is exacerbating the effect, he believes. Residents now leave their programs as "board eligible" rather than "board certified," making them less desirable than those who have both their boards and a couple fellowships under their belt.
The situation is leading to the rise of multispecialty radiologists: imagers who are deeply trained in two or more subspecialties. What's the long-term effect? It could be great if you're one of those who have completed a second fellowship. But the new reality could give you pause if you're a medical student pondering radiology as a specialty.
Read more of Dr. Jha's unique opinions by clicking here, and join the debate over the article in our Forums.
Point-of-care ultrasound
Finally, visit our Ultrasound Digital Community for a new article on the training requirements for point-of-care ultrasound. A new study found that experienced sonologists had higher sensitivity for diagnosing appendicitis than those with less training.
Read more by clicking here, or visit our Ultrasound Digital Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
