Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR
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The aims of this study were to use medical simulation as an assessment tool for the evaluation of radiology residents' compliance with contrast reaction treatment protocols and to gauge their perceptions of the simulation experience. ⋯ Standard didactic instruction may provide insufficient training and reinforcement of acute contrast reaction management skills. Medical simulation may provide a valuable means of assessing residents' skills and comfort levels in managing severe contrast reactions.
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Wound infections can slow healing, increase pain, and have negative effects on a patient's quality of life. The recent emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains has led wound care specialists to revisit alternative topical agents such as silver to control wound bioburden. Aquacel Ag is an ionic silver-containing barrier dressing that is able to absorb large amounts of wound exudate. The aim of this study was to assess the magnetic resonance (MR) safety and compatibility of this dressing, according to the standard requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ⋯ The wound dressing impregnated with ionic silver evaluated in this study has similar magnetic and electric characteristics to human tissues and is MR safe as defined in ASTM standard F2503-05. Therefore, the dressings can be left in place when a patient is undergoing MR imaging.
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The aim of this study was to examine the effects of self-referral by comparing recent trends in payments and utilization rates for radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) among radiologists and cardiologists between 1998 and 2006. ⋯ In recent years, there have been very sharp increases in the costs and utilization of MPI among cardiologists compared with radiologists. Most of the growth occurred in cardiologists' private offices. In hospital settings, radiologists still do more MPI examinations than cardiologists. Because MPI is a highly reimbursed procedure and there is no evidence that coronary disease is increasing in frequency in the Medicare population, this trend raises a concern about inappropriate self-referral. This is particularly true in view of the facts that the utilization of a competing procedure such as SE also continues to increase among cardiologists and that MPI is not substituting for an invasive procedure such as diagnostic CA.
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Health technology assessment has significantly improved the decision-making process via the thorough and systematic evaluation of the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of new drugs and health technologies. However, the device industry faces a significant challenge in meeting the evidentiary demands of the health technology assessment process, particularly given the small size of the Canadian market and device manufacturers. ⋯ The authors propose that health technology assessment can be improved by recognizing the challenges that device manufacturers face and by sharing the risk associated with evaluations of effectiveness. Health technology assessment is a powerful tool that can be used to evaluate new and potentially obsolete technologies alike, with the goal of meeting the needs of patients as customers of both the device industry and the health care system.