Committee Description
The Diagnostic Imaging Quality Assurance Program is under contract
from the Ministry of Health (Medical Services Branch) to provide a
quality assurance program for medical imaging in the Province of
Saskatchewan. Regulatory Bylaw 25.1, Operation of Diagnostic Imaging
Facilities in the Province of Saskatchewan, has been developed to ensure
the provision of an acceptable quality of patient care in diagnostic
imaging. This document indicates conditions that must exist in any
diagnostic imaging facility, whether fixed or portable to allow a
physician to:
- perform diagnostic imaging procedures in that facility; or
- interpret diagnostic images rendered or obtained in that facility; or
- refer patients to that facility.
The Advisory Committee on Medical Imaging (ACMI) of the College of
Physicians and Surgeons has been mandated, by its contract with the
Ministry of Health, to "develop methods and protocols for the assessment
of the quality of medical imaging services provided."
The ACMI is currently comprised of four Radiologists, one Nuclear
Medicine specialist, one Obstetrician/ Gynecologist, an
Ultrasonographer, a Medical Radiation Technologist and representation
from Radiation Health and Safety and the Ministry of Health, as well as
three College staff members, who provide the administration of the DIQA
program.
As part of its mandate, the ACMI has developed Standards of practice
for Medical Imaging in the areas of General Ultrasound, Obstetrical
Ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CT), Bone Densitometry, Interventional
Radiology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Nuclear Medicine. The
"Echocardiography Standards of Canada" have been adopted for
echocardiography practice.
In order to assess compliance with the standards, the ACMI has
established a process with which to audit imaging physicians. This
process includes peer review audits of Radiologists,
Obstetrician/Gynecologists and those physicians performing
Echocardiography (Cardiologists and Internists).