Plans of the German Radiology Society and the Professional Association for Quality Assurance in Mammography

A high level of quality is an unequivocal prerequisite for obtaining the highest possible accuracy in symptomatic patients and for reproducing the results concerning mortality reduction, which were obtained in large screening trials. Present deficiencies in Germany are due to legal regulations, which have not been updated and which are thus below European standard. Furthermore, the quality assurance program has not proven sufficiently effective for mammography. In order to promote mammographic quality assurance, the German Roentgen Society proposes an accreditation program. The accreditation, which concerns (A.) mammographic technique and positioning and (B.) mammographic reporting is not obligatory, but will allow acquisition of special official certificates, which may support the patients to find doctors who perform and read mammograms with high quality and expertise. The accreditation shall be performed by personel and/or institutions who are specifically trained surveyed. (orig.)