“Spain needs solid continuous training for radiologists”

The rays He owes a lot to the diagnostic radiologist Cesar PedrosaCurrently, Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Medicine Complutense University of Madrid And an honorary member of American Society of Radiology (RSNA, for its acronym in English). On the occasion of his 90th birthday, the distinguished specialist reviews his entire career and assesses the present and future of radiology in Spain in statements to medical writing.

For Pedrosa, from the point of view of radiological training, “Spain has a training system comparable to any developed country in the world, with a scheme compatible with that of the most important countries in Europe.” It is a position, according to the radiologist, “achieved thanks to the role of Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (Ceram) which has reached extraordinary levels of coordination with other international associations.”

However, Pedrosa stresses the need to “renew the existing MIR system for specialization, a system in which many things have to change, such as its structure, the need to increase its funding and to create a strong and complete continuing education for the radiologist.” It is an initiative that “does not depend on SERAM but on Government Mainly from Ministry of Health“.

Currently, “Spain does not have Solid structure for continuing education And its implementation would be as simple as ‘copying’ it from other countries that are already incorporated,” says Pedrosa who also considers it “important that knowledge renewal Renewal “can be done with the accumulation of annual credits for participation or assistance in conferences, sessions and meetings so that the requirements for specialization can be renewed.”

The golden age of radiology in diagnostic imaging

Advances in radiology have aided in the advancement of diagnostic imaging for many diseases, and at this time, “radiology has become a golden age, since diagnostic imaging is essential and, in many cases, serves as the definitive diagnosis,” Pedrosa explains.

In many definitive diagnoses, “nothing other than the imaging technique needs to be done, as it serves as the definitive test that determines the origin of the disease. This is the case of the mammography, which, for example, determines the diagnosis of cancer from the breast,” says Pedrosa. .

Likewise, the radiologist emphasizes that “the most significant impact that will occur in the coming years will be that of Artificial Intelligence (AI)a technology that will powerfully support the radiologist to draw conclusions and clarify diagnoses.” Although artificial intelligence “will provide the results of millions of cases, the The radiologist will need basic training In relation to this technology so that it allows you to use the various applications of artificial intelligence in your daily practice.”

University degree photo technician, essential for Spanish radiology

Distinguished Technicians in Imaging for Diagnostic and Nuclear Medicine (TSID-MNThey have been calling for a change in training in Spain for more than 30 years, which is a particularly hot situation today in the face of demonstrations planned in the coming days. In addition, they assure that only a university education will provide them with the knowledge they need to adapt to the unstoppable changes in the Diagnostic imaging Hence, to the exponential increase in their skills. Claim that they also joined from SERAM to achieve this common goal.

In this sense, Pedrosa is “at the forefront of this claim” because he is the creator of the first school photo technicians From Spain. Given the multiple requests made to the government, and specifically, to Ministry of education To be organized as a university degree, the radiologist assures that “It is not a conceptual problem, but an economic problem. And behind the fact that the university position of these people is unacceptable is the treasury, which will mean a change of thousands of citizens and very important expenses. ”

In this sense, Pedrosa asserts that “it is not understood why there is training in Europe for its technicians rays Three or four years, while in Spain two years. “For the expert”, there is no doubt that Need to expand the framework in which photographic technicians work Because the use of important techniques nowadays such as magnetic resonance presupposes a very important change in terms of the knowledge required in the technician.”

According to Pedrosa, “Training a Photographic Technician It should extend to four yearsHe proves that “it can be done with two different degrees (a minor degree and a specialization degree), i.e. similar to a master’s degree.” However, he asserts that “this kind of progression is very difficult to break in Spain because the same thing happened with a major.” Radiological diagnosiswhich has been in the hands of radiotherapists for 30 years.”

At the moment, “the same thing happens with technicians, and given the way things happen, I consider there are specialties like interventional radiology or ultrasound that require superior knowledge,” says Pedrosa, who, for him, in the event of these years The four, respectively, “must complete some type of master’s to complete training in these disciplines.”