Green radiology: How to develop sustainable radiology.

The phenomenon of global warming due to the increased emission of greenhouse gases makes it necessary to raise public awareness about the importance of promoting sustainable practices. The field of radiology is not an exception, as it consumes a large amount of energy and resources to operate equipment and generate images. Green radiology is a sustainable, innovative, and responsible approach in radiology practice that focuses on minimizing the negative environmental effects of the technologies and procedures used in radiology. Its primary goal is to reduce the carbon, water and ecological footprint in our services based on four strategic pillars: decreasing energy, water, and helium usage; properly recycling and/or disposing of waste and residues (including contrast media); minimizing the environmental impact of ionizing radiation; and promoting eco-friendly radiology practices.

Royal Decree 601/2019 on justification and optimization: Practical aspects.

The Royal Decree 601/2019 of 18th October is the result of the partial transposition into the Spanish legal system of the Euratom Directive 59/2013. This Royal Decree includes the mandates of the Directive related to the need to justify and optimize medical exposure, including that of asymptomatic people, proposal of stricter requirements regarding the information that must be provided to the patient, registration and notification of the doses of medical-radiological procedures, use of reference levels for diagnosis and the availability of dose-indicating devices. The article reviews the most relevant aspects and novelties related to the principles of justification, optimization, dose control and the obligations derived from the right to information and consent. This Royal Decree considers essential for radiologists to develop a high level of competence and a new list of responsibilities and functions, which are detailed and analysed in this article.

Teleradiology: good practice guide.

Teleradiology is the electronic transmission of radiological images from one location to another with the main purpose of interpreting or consulting a diagnosis and must be subject to codes of conduct agreed upon by professional societies. The content of fourteen teleradiology best practice guidelines is analyzed. Their guiding principles are: the best interest and benefit of the patient, quality and safety standards homologous to the local radiology service, and use as a complement and support of the same. As legal obligations: guaranteeing rights by applying the principle of the patient's country of origin, establishing requirements in international teleradiology and civil liability insurance. Regarding the radiological process: integration with the local service process, guaranteeing the quality of images and reports, access to previous studies and reports and complying with the principles of radioprotection. Regarding professional requirements: compliance with the required registrations, licenses and qualifications, training and qualification of the radiologist and technician, prevention of fraudulent practices, respect for labor standards and remuneration of the radiologist. Subcontracting must be justified, managing the risk of commoditization. Compliance with the system's technical standards.

[Organization and management of urgent imaging]. / Organización y gestión de la radiología urgente.

Urgent imaging accounts for more than 50% of the overall activity in diagnostic imaging departments. The enormous impact of this workload makes the appropriate organization and management of urgent imaging essential. Providing urgent imaging services aims to meet the needs of urgent and critical patients from both within the hospital (wards) and outside it (emergency department). To achieve these aims, all hospitals should have a specific unit for urgent imaging. This unit should be large enough to deal with the volume of activity and it should be provided with the human, technological, structural, and organizational resources necessary to fulfill this mission.

[Regulations governing the training of diagnostic imaging residents: the residents' statute and the medical specialties law]. / Normativa de la formación del residente de Radiodiagnóstico: estatuto del residente y ley de especialidades.

The current system for training medical specialists in Spain originated in 1963, and diagnostic radiology was one of the first specialties recognized. There are currently three types of regulations that govern the training of specialists: a) professional, The Health Professions Law; b) labor: The Residents' Statute; and c) educational, The New Medical Specialties Law and the Diagnostic Imaging Program This system consists of an exclusive contract with the training organization, a unified system of access, and a training program in accredited units that includes tutoring, evaluation, and progressive assignment of responsibilities. Residents have a right to be trained and evaluated, to participate in the teaching unit, and to their labor rights. In exchange, they must complete the tasks assigned in the program and abide by the institution's rules. Residents must be supervised directly in the first year and thereafter they should be given progressively more responsibility.