American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification - Part IV: practice quality improvement for radiation oncology.

Maintenance of Certification is a physician-based response to public concerns about the quality of medical care and physician competency in a rapidly evolving, technically demanding specialty. The American Board of Radiology (ABR) has previously described the first three components of the Maintenance of Certification. The ABR is currently developing a program in practice performance, completing Part IV of the competencies.

Self-assessment for maintenance of certification.

Self-assessment is paired with continuing medical education in the "lifelong learning " component of the American Board of Radiology's (ABR) Maintenance of Certification program. The literature on the use of self-assessment in higher education and the professions is instructive with regard to the distinctiveness of this form of adult learning. This article reviews pertinent literature, summarizes the findings, and applies the principles to the creation and use of "self-assessment modules" (SAMs) for the maintenance of certification.

Shaping the future: maintenance of board certification and quality care.

This review is a summary of a presentation at the 2005 Intersociety Conference on training for the future of radiology. Certification by all 24 boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties, including the American Board of Radiology (ABR), has changed significantly. All primary and subspecialty certificates issued by the ABR are currently limited to 10 years, and diplomates of the board must maintain their certification by completing the ABR's maintenance of certification (MOC) program.

Maintenance of certification.

Maintenance of certification (MOC) recognizes that in addition to medical knowledge, several essential elements involved in delivering quality care must be developed and maintained throughout one's career. The MOC process is designed to facilitate and document the professional development of each American Board of Radiology (ABR) diplomate through its focus on the essential elements of quality care in diagnostic radiology, its subspecialties, radiation oncology, and radiologic physics. The initial elements of the ABR's MOC program have been developed in accord with guidelines of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Pretreatment evaluation of prostate cancer: role of MR imaging and 1H MR spectroscopy.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and hydrogen 1 MR spectroscopy of the prostate gland are performed during the same examination with a conventional clinical MR unit. Prostate zonal anatomy and prostate cancer are best depicted on multiplanar T2-weighted MR images. MR imaging and 1H MR spectroscopy are not used as an initial diagnostic tool.