Apathy: The Threat Within

摘要

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves. -William Shakespeare Julius Caesar (Act I, Scene 2) At a meeting held in May 2006, members of the Board of Chancellors and the Council Steering Committee of the ACR were asked to identify the most serious threat to the survival of radiology. Although various external threats-such as declining reimbursement, the usurping by nonradiologist physicians of procedures and diagnostic examinations historically performed by radiologists, and demands that radiologists provide expanded coverage at night and on Sundays and holidays-were considered to be serious, it was an internal threat, apathy, that in the eyes of the members superseded all others. In this commentary, I discuss the extent to which apathy does indeed exist among radiologists and then discuss what can be done to minimize if not eradicate it from our ranks.