ESR staff writer Mélisande Rouger was in Madrid on November 8 and took the chance to catch up with members of the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM) celebrating the International Day of Radiology.

Fans of medical imaging celebrated the 2nd International Day of Radiology (IDoR) on November 8, with many events taking place all over the world. More than 100 radiology-related societies observed the day and organised their own events, including SERAM, who held a well attended public event at the headquarters of the Spanish Association Against Cancer, in Madrid.

IDoR, which was launched by the European Society of Radiology (ESR), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) last year, aims to bring radiology closer to the public. This year’s theme was lung imaging, and Spanish radiologists provided clues on how to highlight the role of the radiologist in lung disease management in their lectures last Friday.

From left to right: Dr. Inmaculada Herráez Ortega, Dr. Angel Gayete Cara, Ms. Elena Serrano García, Dr. Joaquin Ferreiros Dominguez, Dr. Carmen Ayuso Colella, Dr. Eva Castañer Gonzalez and Dr. Jesus De La Torre Fernandez.
Photo courtesy of SERAM.

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The International Day of Radiology (IDoR) takes place in just a couple of days’ time, on November 8, and this year the focus is on lung imaging. The ESR chose to approach this theme by creating a book on the subject, with the help of the European Society of Thoracic Imaging (ESTI), which will be published to coincide with this year’s IDoR.

ESTI board members, including several contributors to the forthcoming book, gathered in Vienna recently to discuss plans for their society, so we took the opportunity to ask them why it is necessary to inform the public of the importance of radiology in healthcare.

“Doctors form a team, and in this team radiologists are a very important group, but their role is not so well known. A lot of people think that we are only photographers, but we have a crucial role in making a diagnosis. It’s important for the public to know what role we play,” said Doctor Eva CastaÑer González, a radiologist working at the Corporació Parc Taulí in Sabadell, Spain.

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In the course of preparing a book on lung imaging that will be published to mark the International Day of Radiology (IDoR), the ESR spoke to Nicola Bedlington, executive director of the European Patients’ Forum (EPF), who shared her views on healthcare in the EU and explained why she chose to participate in IDoR 2013.

ESR: What is the overall aim of your organisation?

Nicola Bedlington: Our vision is high quality, patient-centred and equitable healthcare for all patients throughout the European Union.
The European Patients’ Forum is an umbrella organisation that works with patients’ groups in public health and health advocacy across Europe. Our members represent specific chronic disease groups at EU level, or are national coalitions of patients. We currently represent almost 60 such organisations.
Our mission is to be the collective patients’ voice at EU level, manifesting the solidarity, power and unity of the EU patients’ movement, and to provide a strong and united patients’ voice in order to put patients at the centre of EU health policy and programmes. In this regard we are the key interlocutor with EU institutions on cross-cutting issues affecting all patients.

Nicola Bedlington, executive director of the European Patients’ Forum (EPF)

ESR: What exactly does your organisation do to meet this aim?

NB: The EPF helps to empower patients’ organisations through educational seminars, policy initiatives and projects. We coordinate best practice exchanges between patient organisations at European and national levels. Our programmes also help to strengthen organisational and advocacy capacity.

ESR: Your organisation has experience working with various chronic disease groups. Do many patients suffer from chronic diseases in the EU?

NB: Following consultation with our members we estimate there are at least 150 million patients with chronic conditions across the European Union. This figure is likely to increase given the ageing population.

ESR: Many EU countries face significant health budget cuts, leading to shorter hospital stays and less access to modern equipment (i.e. long waiting lists for MRI exams). How can patient care be promoted in this context?

NB: The EPF is working with its member organisations to ensure health is seen as an investment, and patients are not perceived as purely cost drivers. Major health inequalities exist across the EU which impact enormously on patients’ access to care.
Building on the three pillars of quality information, health literacy and empowerment, patients can be agents of change and sources of innovation, particularly in terms of equity and sustainability of care. There need to be meaningful opportunities for patient involvement throughout the healthcare sector. We promote meaningful patient involvement in all forms of innovation, whether it is in high or low technology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, social change or systems change. The patient community seeks partnerships with researchers, policy-makers and industry in order to achieve greater impact in this arena.

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