A Tutorial on Diagnostic Imaging Databases

Since 2009, RSNA has asked representatives of the National Library of Medicine to come to its annual conference to teach radiologists what types of databases and other tools are available that can assist them in their daily work.


Since 2009, RSNA has asked representatives of the National Library of Medicine to come to its annual conference to teach radiologists what types of databases and other tools are available that can assist them in their daily work.

RSNA 2014, Nov. 30-Dec. 5 in Chicago, is no exception, with 8 sessions--two of them focusing on reference databases--as well as hands-on training at the NLM booth on the exhibit floor. “Sunday through Friday, we’re teaching,” says Holly Ann Burt, program coordinator for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region.

Radiologists use a variety of databases but there are plenty left out there that many don’t know about, Burt says. She’ll talk about available resources that may be underused, new archives, which resources are free, and how to get access to various databases.

For instance, a new National Cancer Institute survey of biomedical imaging archives shows which ones are publicly available and the types of content they hold, whether a login is needed, if the archives have a fixed size or are growing, if they include metadata, and if there is a level of support available to users.

Another new resource is a pediatric MRI data repository of images and information on normal brain development, to supplement traditional databases that have focused on abnormal problems.

Burt during the sessions, “Free Online Databases: Images and More,” at 2:00 on Nov. 30 and 10:30 on Dec. 4, will go into multiple databases and show what they offer. Most of the datasets she will show have National Institutes of Health funding, so the resources are publicly available to use in research and teaching. And, she’ll remind attendees that librarians are at the booth throughout the conference to work with radiologists. “We’re there all week, so come see us.”

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