A Message from the CEO

Duane Findley

Looking Forward to Seeing You All in Person

One of the best things about being CEO of the College is getting out and meeting our members at their workplaces and their regional meetings. COVID restrictions have impacted my ability to do this during my early days with the College, but with the easing of restrictions, I’ve been able to connect with members just like the ‘before-time’.

Video conferences are an excellent time- and cost-effective way to stay connected and they will remain as part of our communication landscape, but sometimes, nothing compares with face-to-face contact. Recently I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the New Zealand ASM and Branch AGM; and visit a number of Perth hospitals and private clinics and attend the WA Branch AGM.

Thank you to all of our members who have taken the time to host me at their place of work or have taken the time to ask me questions about the College, raise concerns, or to offer a point of view on a broad range of topics. Two issues that were raised multiple times were CPD and our work with iRefer.

CPD

The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) have announced changes to their CPD registration standards, to be adhered to by all colleges.

As a result of these imposed changes, the College, through the work of the FCR and FRO Professional Practice Committees have aligned the College CPD program requirements to ensure our members can meet the requirements of their medical registration.

The 2022 year has been a transition year for the College CPD program, with the introduction of a number of the new requirements for CPD as well as the new CPD ePortfolio. This is to allow members to familiarise themselves with the new program requirements and CPD ePortfolio functionality in preparation for all regulatory requirements being mandatory from 1 January 2023.

Please also be reminded that your 2022 CPD activities are due by 31 December. As the College has moved to an annual CPD program, everyone should be recording their CPD in the ePortfolio to remain compliant. If you need assistance with your CPD, please contact cpd@ranzcr.edu.au

The CPD section of the website also has a number of resources to assist, including ‘how to’ guides and video recordings, handbooks, FAQs and general program information.

College staff are available to attend meetings with members either in person or virtually to assist. Please contact the College’s Standards team to arrange a time.

Imaging Guidelines | iRefer

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) has been shown globally to improve patient care/safety by recommending the most appropriate imaging for a particular clinical need. It also reduces clinical variation in ordering and helps to increase the confidence for ordering and education of junior trainees. This in turn provides increased accessibility to imaging in a more timely manner for all. There are a number of guidelines developed globally that have been in use for over a decade, including the American College of Radiology’s Appropriateness Criteria, the European Society of Radiology’s iGuide and the Royal College of Radiologists’ iRefer.

The iRefer guidelines are now in use in Canada, Poland, Middle East, Ireland, NHS Scotland and Wales; and are rapidly becoming the standard across many areas of the globe.

The College has recently reached an agreement with the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) for the use and licensing of iRefer in Australia. It provides guidance on selecting the most appropriate imaging investigation for a range of clinical problems. Embedding iRefer into the Australian health landscape will provide the foundation for optimal patient health outcomes.

The iRefer Imaging Guidelines are based on best clinical evidence from a diverse range of sources, are validated through an extensive network of clinical experts and subject to rigorous governance. The guidelines methodology has been accredited by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This ensures that guidelines are best practice and not influenced by political or commercial factors.

With Government encouragement, the College is presently undertaking a pilot of iRefer in conjunction with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), to demonstrate the benefits that imaging guidelines can bring to our healthcare system. GP feedback on this pilot will be used to inform how iRefer can support GPs to refer for the right test at the right time while still maintaining clinician autonomy for decision-making and allowing faster vetting or authorisation of orders through less order changes, cancellations or call-backs between radiology and referrers.

2022 Australian ASM | 27–30 October in Adelaide

We are holding the 2022 Australian ASM in Adelaide South Australia, from 27–30 October. If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, time is running out.

With a thought-provoking program and strong support from industry partners, the ASM will be a showcase event for our profession to reconnect after our enforced time apart.

We will be welcoming a record number of graduates at our graduation ceremony in Adelaide, including many whose graduation ceremony was postponed due to COVID restrictions.

I look forward to seeing all of you there.