Radiology overview: Defining radiology and stakeholders in the radiology enterprise

Abstract

The complexity of the radiology organization is commonly underappreciated in the planning and implementation of medical imaging services in developing countries. It is vital for radiology service implementation that the full dynamics of the radiology enterprise be analyzed with full integration of stakeholders. In this way, technical components, such as medical hardware and software, can be optimized for the full range of specialized personnel who must operate in synchrony to deliver safe and effective imaging. Understanding these stakeholders is also vital for international partnership building and health policy formulation, in which key areas of expertise and experience are bridged via communication to help limited-resource areas. Therefore, this chapter sets out to delineate the actors and processes constituting a radiology enterprise so that these factors can be best analyzed and planned for new services in poor and developing regions of the world.