iRADiX

Radiology has come a long way since the introduction of X-rays when Wilhelm Röntgen took first "medical" x-ray of his wife's hand on 22 December 1895. The field of radiology has expanded beyond the realms of X-rays with nuclear magnetic resonance and ultrasound wave technology being the major players in modern times. Our attitude towards X-rays has also diversified with development of computed tomography.

With the advancement in technology has come vast expansion in the applications of radiological methods and the huge demand on radiologist to provide the correct diagnosis, sometimes even in most adverse circumstances.

This translates into a heavy burden and responsibility on the radiologists’ shoulder. And ‘to err is human’!

30% of medical law suits in US are related to missed diagnosis!

For the court a clinical examination is no longer sufficient to prove a case: Objective documents are requested, leading to numerous unnecessary examinations.

In the present scenario, the roles and responsibilities of radiologist must change with time.

The referring physicians need a clinical interface with radiology. For this, the radiologist should fully understand the clinical problem.

And the radiologist is expected to do this for every clinical problem and for all medical specialities!

Raju: Wow, look how time flies... Just yesterday we had joined radiology PG and now we are just about to finish the residency. Hey guys, what are your future plans?

Farhan: Man, I think Radiology future is in the dark … Why did I do radiology in the first place beats me. I was ranked 7^th in PG entrance exam, I could have chosen any medical field… I think I made a big mistake….

Raju: Are you nuts? Radiology is the coolest, the most glamorous branch. Some people pay 2 crores for a radiology PG. Where else would you get to sit in an AC room throughout the day in this hot weather? All we have to do is write a bunch of reports and then we are free. To tell you frankly the reporting isn’t that boring, you do get to see interesting cases once in a while. Like today we saw a case of KLMNO disease…What do you say Rancho?

Rancho: All is well, all is well….