Better use of available radiology resources for women's health in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Published in: Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
• Main Authors: Kayiba Peggy Medlen, Nancy Anne Leahy, Kerry Greene-Donnelly, Howard Bruce Fleishon, Pablo Jiménez
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2018
• Subjects: Women's health; radiology; ultrasonography; tomography; x-ray computed; mammography; Latin America; West Indies; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2018.115; https://doaj.org/article/80b7f84f53a949f5a3948182ec1b6f5b

Despite the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, women in numerous countries still face many challenges in obtaining good-quality health care. For example, various nations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) do not have access to complex radiology technologies. However, conventional radiography, ultrasound, mammography, and computed tomography are available and can be used to address such women's health concerns as breast and cervical cancers, postpartum bleeding, and tuberculosis. LAC countries face additional difficulties in radiology services with respect to quality human resources, quality assurance programs, standardization, and functioning of diagnostic imaging units. These deficiencies affect the quality of the services rendered. Appropriate measures must be implemented to produce quality services and quality images and to reduce adverse events. These steps will ensure better outcomes and consequently reduce mortality and morbidity.