Burnout in the workplace gets discussed quite a bit these days. People in many professions talk about doing more work with fewer resources and the toll it takes on their physical and mental health. This condition is particularly acute in health care, in general, and radiology, in particular. With image volumes continuing to grow and a workforce that needs reinforcements, it’s easy to understand why. But although the causes and remedies have also been much discussed, there has been little relief since the days of the COVID pandemic.
This month’s cover feature takes a deeper dive into what’s wrong with radiology and what can be done to make it better. As AI has become a larger part of the equation, a prospect many people once believed would help, it has become clear that AI alone will not be enough. AI on its own has become, in many cases, an additional task. What’s needed is a reengineering of workflow to make AI a seamless part of the process. Beth W. Orenstein speaks with experts in the field to get their opinions on what would improve workflow, for radiologists and rad techs alike.
Speaking of image volumes and workflow, with radiologists reading more studies than ever, environmental and ergonomic considerations are becoming more important. The need was already well documented, but radiologists are being pushed to the breaking point, literally. Keith Loria has an update on some of the equipment that may be helpful in the pursuit of less stressful workflow.
Another topic that has generated a lot of news in the past few years is the rise of deepfake images. In a radiology context, the preferred name is “synthetic images,” and they can be useful in certain circumstances. Researchers recently set off alarm bells, though, when they found that not only radiologists, but also AI programs had difficulty distinguishing synthetic images from real ones. As Jessica Zimmer reports, however, the danger of synthetic images being used for nefarious purposes is much farther down the list of things to worry about than other actions that hackers could take. When and where synthetic images find a place in medical practice remains to be seen.
Finally, Rebecca Montz takes a look at the state of fluoroscopy. As with other modalities, fluoroscopy has been moving toward versatility. With budgets being continually squeezed, health care providers are increasingly prioritizing efficiency and long-term value. Turn to page 26 for all of the details.
If you happen to be at the AHRA conference in Orlando, stop by booth #1236 and say hi. We always appreciate hearing from our readers.
Enjoy the issue.
— Dave Yeager
david.yeager@gvpub.com