With Commissions for Mammography, Magnetic Resonance, Computed Tomography and Ultrasound, CBR was a pioneer and served as a model for several countries
The Brazilian College of Radiology and Image Diagnosis (CBR) pioneered the creation of Quality Seals to encourage improvements in equipment, which enables a more assertive diagnosis, more effective treatment and preserves lives. The first CBR Quality Seal was for Mammography, in 1992, which played a fundamental role in assisting in the evolution of care and protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the country and proved the importance of focusing on Quality in Health.
In addition to the standardization of exams and so much progress achieved in procedures that can save lives, the concern with quality promoted an advance in learning systems, professional conduct and use of equipment. In this sense, José Michel Kalaf, one of the coordinators of the Mammography Commission, points out that the CBR Quality Certification contributed to the professionalization and growth of the subspecialty in the country. “The program provided better conditions for publicizing the specialty, with an emphasis on quality and early diagnosis. In addition, it promoted the maintenance and expansion of teaching conditions and the perfect integration with the modern techniques available.”
The pioneering spirit of the CBR Mammography Quality Commission even preceded a related commission of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and served as a model for several countries and for the other certifications created by the CBR: Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound.
In all subspecialties, the CBR Quality Program has similar actions and objectives: to ensure that the clinic or hospital has undergone an evaluation that attests to the technical quality of the images and test reports. In this way, such institutions are able to have a Seal that demonstrates compliance with rigorous standards and good medical practices.
“The number of requests [for Quality Seals] has been increasing over the years. The tendency is for this number to increase even more, as the services have realized the advantages of being accredited by a serious institution like the CBR”, says the coordinator of the National Ultrasound Commission (CNUS), Harley de Nicola. “The seal is a guarantee that the clinic or hospital has been submitted to the CBR evaluation, and that the institution has evaluated and certified the technical quality of the images and test reports, considering them adequate to its rigorous standards. It is an important differential for diagnostic imaging services”, he adds.
doctor Marco Antonio Rocha Mello, coordinator of the Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Commissions, highlights the progress in Quality driven by the CBR program. “It is a more simplified certification. So, it could be the beginning of additional certifications, such as the Padi (Accreditation Program in Diagnostic Imaging), which arose, in part, due to the need of the clients themselves to have a broader certification for their clinics, instead of the certification by modality. CBR used these modality certifications as a learning curve to create a broader certification, the Padi, and I understand this to be an important contribution to CBR.”
* Article published in 401 edition of CBR Bulletin, July 2022