The Canadian health care system: past, present, and future.

This review offers American radiologists the information required to understand the Canadian health care system. It includes a brief history of the Canadian system and describes the relationship between health care and the Canadian constitution. A comprehensive appraisal of current conditions addresses the performance of the Canadian system and provides an overview of policy and planning responsibilities for health care across Canada.

In-training evaluation using hand-held computerized clinical work sampling strategies in radiology residency.

Purpose: The in-training evaluation and final in-training evaluation are the mainstay format for evaluation summaries in Canadian residency training programs. This study investigates the feasibility of a clinical work sampling (CWS) approach to evaluation in radiology residency, with the aid of personal hand-held computing devices

Methods: This study was conducted over a 1-year period with 14 radiology residents spanning 4 postgraduate years. Residents were provided with a hand-held device to enter evaluation data, with entries assessing 9 categories of resident performance.

A web-based test of residents' skills in diagnostic radiology.

Purpose: To develop an objective, Web-based tool for evaluating residents' knowledge of diagnostic radiology.

Methods: We developed and tested a Web-based evaluation tool (the Diagnostic Radiology Skills Test) that consists of 3 tests, one in each of 3 domains of diagnostic radiology: chest, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal imaging. Each test comprises 30 cases representing a range of difficulty in the domain, including normal states, normal variants, typical cases of common diagnoses, and cases with more subtle findings.

The use of cross-sectional diagnostic imaging in a major Canadian health care centre.

Objective: To assess current patterns of use of cross-sectional imaging at 5 large Canadian teaching hospitals and a cancer centre, in order to better predict future use.

Methods: We prospectively reviewed all requisitions for diagnostic imaging during a 2-week period in January 2002. Each requisition was assessed by means of a form on which the attending radiologist answered 6 questions about the appropriateness and usefulness of the requested examination.

Yuppie scans from head to toe: unethical entrepreneurism.

Our responsibility as Canadian radiologists is the same as the responsibility of physicians irrespective of the health care system they serve or the country where they work. "Our modern society does not value properly the intellectual effort, and the time studying the problems of patients and deciding on their solutions. Much higher rewards are placed on the use of sophisticated medical technology.