Romania Radiology Quality Improvement Program

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of death among women in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia and, since its inception, AIHA has been dedicated to developing greater regional capacity to fight this disease.

With support from USAID and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, AIHA partnered with the Romanian Ministry of Health and Family, the National Institute of Postgraduate Training of Doctors and Pharmacists, the American College of Radiology, Renasterea Foundation, and other organizations to ensure the success of the Radiology Quality Assurance Program.

AIHA’s Radiology Quality Assurance Program in Romania commenced in February 2004 with the initial assessment of five pilot sites:

• Institute of Oncology (Cluj)
• District University Hospital (Cluj)
• Institute of Oncology (Bucharest)
• Fundeni Hospital (Bucharest)
• Renesterea Foundation Clinic (Bucharest)

The purpose of the assessment stage was to evaluate current levels of mammography techniques, professional training, and current practices in use at the pilot sites.

Through a series of quality control trainings for the radiology teams from the five pilot sites, specialists learned the skills necessary to implement a quality assurance program at their sites and were instructed in adult learning methodologies throughout 2006 when the project concluded.

As a result, these professionals were better able to teach colleagues from other mammography sites about image quality, patient positioning, quality control standards, and quality assurance tests.

The project demonstrated that it is possible to reach high standards in diagnostics as well as to disseminate model practices despite limited resources.