Editorial: The Tail Shouldn’t Wag the Dog

Excerpt

WHEN CONTEMPLATING a potential research project, the collective brain trust of our research team will often sit down to discuss the merits of the idea. In addition to the scientific value, study design, and null hypothesis, we always ask ourselves what is the practical value to the community at large. Is this proposed study too narrow in focus, too esoteric, or too technical in nature to have a broad-based appeal to those radiologists, technologists, and administrators who occupy the “front lines” in the radiology marketplace? If the answer to these questions is “no,” our next question extends to industry. Could this research project have an impact on the vendors and manufacturers who design, build, and implement the technology? If the answer to this fundamental question is “yes,” we often proceed forward with the hopes of a project that offers practical value to the entire radiology community. …