Building a Learning Community for Radiology Quality and Safety in Massachusetts: Confronting Challenges and Creating Opportunities

Abstract

Radiologists in quality and safety (QS) leadership positions often arrive with little to no formal training in QS. Their determination and practical problem-solving skills have allowed them to succeed in local QS initiatives; however, they now must develop and manage practice-wide comprehensive programs and face challenges that typically lack single, straightforward solutions. Resources for QS training and program management offered by professional organizations [1] do not take the place of sharing experiential knowledge that can help resolve dilemmas, support practical implementation, and accelerate change [2,3]. In 2016, we both assumed QS leadership positions at separate tertiary medical centers in Massachusetts and began talking regularly about our QS work. In doing so, we realized QS challenges were similar across institutions and that the peer-to-peer mentorship was valuable. We outline here what we learned from the successes and challenges of scaling our informal mentorship into a formal learning community, The Massachusetts Radiology Quality and Safety Council.