Toward consistent use of reporting scales in imaging studies.

摘要

This editorial refers to the article "Potential effect of different radiologist reporting methods on studies showing benefit of CAD" by Horsch et al in the present issue of Academic Radiology (1).There are several communities or "cultures" that will find common ground in this article. One community includes the public and private funding sponsors and developers of new technologies for medical imaging-in particular, the technology of computer algorithms that assist radiologists in their decision making. Another community therefore is that of the radiologists themselves who will use these technologies. Then there is the community developing study designs and statistical assessment methodologies for evaluating the new technologies. Downstream we encounter the community of public policy makers who approve and clear these technologies for entrance to the marketplace for their specified task and the third-party payers who determine when a combination of a technology and a diagnostic task meet their criteria for reimbursement.