Getting the right image for my patient

This initiative aims to improve patient care, ensuring each patient receives the most appropriate and justified imaging procedure, enhancing diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

In this video, we hear from some of the different parties involved in radiological imaging procedures (competent authorities, radiologists and referrers) about what is important to consider when deciding whether a procedure is appropriate or not and how to encourage dialogue between medical practitioners and patients.

• HERCA: Katrien van Slambrouck and Jean-Luc Lachaume
• European Society of Radiology: Boris Brkljačić
• Choosing Wisely Norway: Stefán Hjörleifsson

High-quality referrals

Referral Guidelines

• help healthcare professionals select the most appropriate imaging technique for each individual patient and for each clinical question,
• are an essential tool in diagnostic radiology,
• should be available and used,
• help ensure that imaging procedures are appropriate,
• should be integrated into Clinical Decision Support systems,
• reduce the number of unnecessary examinations, minimising patient exposure to radiation, and optimising the use of resources.

There are several referral guidelines available and some examples are provided here:

• iRefer
• iGuide

However, each country should decide on and implement the referral guidelines to be adopted on a national level

Education and training (E&T)

• Appropriate E&T of healthcare professionals in the right and effective use of referral guidelines is crucial to improve evident based decisions and patient outcomes.
• Continuous E&T ensures that these tools are utilised optimally, maximising their benefits in clinical practice.
• Online courses are available for healthcare professional regarding the effective implementation of referral guidelines. The ESR tutorial on referral guidelines is one example.