The ESR's European Action Plan for Medical Imaging calls on policy makers to strengthen harmonisation in radiology in the areas

  • quality & safety
  • education & training
  • research
  • eHealth

to improve European healthcare systems and ensure better quality and safety for European patients.

This is necessary to improve access to better and safer healthcare for citizens, promote good health, prevent diseases and protect Europe's citizens from cross-border health threats, in accordance with the provisions of the Health for Growth 2014‑2020 plan, as well as the EU’s Horizon 2020 research programme.

Quality & Safety

Improving and harmonising quality and safety in medical imaging across Europe directly contributes to the EU’s health objectives of delivering improved healthcare quality and patient safety.

The ESR calls on the EU institutions to:

  • support the establishment of European quality and safety indicators for imaging

  • support an audit of imaging equipment, doses, image quality and procedures of the medical imaging chain in Europe and to develop plans to modernise equipment

  • support efforts to improve communication with patients

  • improve inter-institutional cooperation for more coherent action in the area of health

  • support the EuroSafe Imaging campaign (eurosafeimaging.org) to raise awareness of the importance of radiation protection

Education & Training

The ESR supports promoting intra-EU mobility of professionals in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy.

For the radiology profession, it is essential that quality of care and patient safety are adequately secured in cross-border employment situations.

The ESR calls on the EU institutions to:

  • support the harmonisation of radiology training by endorsing the European Training Curriculum and the ESR European Diploma in Radiology

  • support mandatory continuous medical education and continuous professional development for medical professionals throughout the EU

Research

Medical imaging plays a crucial role in the era of personalised medicine, often undervalued by policy makers.

Personalised medicine has led to a great heterogeneity of data and consequently a need for the integration of imaging and ‘omics’ data and the development of structured data repositories to facilitate personalised medicine and clinical trials.

The ESR calls on the EU institutions to:

  • recognise medical imaging as an integral part of personalised medicine

  • support the standardisation and validation of imaging biomarkers

  • support the development of European biobanks in medical imaging to improve interoperability and standardisation

  • develop methods of integrating these data with ‘omics’ databases

eHealth

Advances in information technology have revolutionised healthcare in general and radiology in particular and the current technological possibilities are paving the way for cross-border telemedicine services including teleradiology.
Consequently, a need is arising for European standards.

The ESR calls upon the EU institutions to:

  • endorse the development of Clinical Decision Support systems to improve clinical workflow, appropriateness and training for referrers

  • support the harmonisation of coding and terminology

  • foster semantic interoperability

  • support the further development of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) in order to ensure harmonised standards in data transmission and reporting

  • revise the legal framework for teleradiology

Download the ESR Action Plan for Medical Imaging

 

 

English

French

Launch Event at the European Parliament

The ESR Action Plan for Medical Imaging was launched at the European Parliament in Brussels on November 4, 2014 at an event hosted by Elisabeth Morin-Chartier, Quaestor of the European Parliament.

Highlighting the current heterogeneities in medical imaging in Europe and discussing strategies to address them, the event served as a platform for patients, politicians, experts and industry representatives to share their views on improving quality and safety for Europe’s patients. The aim of the event and the ESR's action plan is to help make European health systems more efficient and effective in the context of personalised medicine, focusing on the potential and needs of imaging with regard to multi-disciplinary European collaboration.

Programme

18.30-18.35h: Welcome by host Elisabeth Morin-Chartier, Quaestor of the European Parliament

18.35-18.45h: Presentation of ESR Call for Action Plan for Medical Imaging by Prof. L. Bonomo, ESR President

18.45-18.55h Talk 1: A safety point of view
Speaker: G. Frija, ESR Past-President

18.55-19.05h Talk 2: An academic point of view
Speaker: H.-U. Kauczor, ESR Research Committee Chairperson

19.05-19.15h Talk 3: An IT point of view
Speaker: L. Donoso, ESR 1st Vice-President

19.15-19.25h Talk 4: Views of the patients
Speaker: E. Briers, EuropaUomo (European Prostate Cancer Coalition)

19.25-19.35h Talk 5: Views of hospital administrators
Speaker: P. Garel, HOPE CEO

19.35-20.00h: Q&A

Press Coverage

ESR Press Release

AuntMinnie.com

Diagnostic Imaging Europe (p. 32)

Background Documents

Read more about the ESR's Action Plan for Medical Imaging.

Background Document English

Background Document French