Continual evaluation and improvement of scientific research is necessary in the field of radiology, because radiology has a unique position in the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment. In the present study, we examined the position of scientific outputs of the field of radiology among other biomedical disciplines in Iran and some selected countries. We used formal methodologies of records retrieval from database based on the scientometric protocols (1). According to the results of the current study, Iranian researches in radiology discipline are mainly in the clinical field and there are few studies on management assessment. The results showed Iranian products comprise 2% of the papers in PubMed scientific database in 2009, while this figure is more than fourfold for Turkey as our main regional competitor. Compared to twenty other countries in the region, our country constitutes 7.7% of the scientific production of the region. Moreover, paper production in comparison to the United States is 0.53%. Regarding paper production in the world, our country’s share in the Scopus scientific database is 0.29%. This figure that in comparison to PubMed database shows a growth of 0.9% while the United States shows a considerable decline from 35% to 1.49%. Turkey consists 0.38% of this database showing a decrease greater than twice in comparison to PubMed scientific database (0.88%). The contribution of twenty regional countries in Scopus scientific database is 1.8% and Iran comprises 15.9% of the regional papers which is more than twice than PubMed scientific database.

In the next step of this study, we evaluated all aspects of radiology and its performance in Iran. These evaluations were divided into three groups including structure evaluation, process evaluation and outcome evaluation. Structure evaluation refers to what we do practically such as management structure, equipment, human resources, and education. Process evaluation includes the process of quality management, waiting time, and protocol (2, 3). Outcome evaluation includes aspects such as medical consequences and patient satisfaction (4, 5).

Roubidoux et al. (6) state that an evaluation is meaningless without standards. Evaluation is not the sampling process and unlike a study that has been designed for yielding statistics, is carried out for service quality improvement (7). As health care providing organizations are responsible for their continuous service quality improvement, a professional and appropriate clinical evaluation is an effective tool for patient care improvement and its results (8). Clinical evaluation in radiology and other medical professions is a regulatory need (9). Thus, for health care improvement, professional and organizational responsibility is considered in performing clinical evaluation in all aspects. According to Scherer et al., audit is defined as “regular and systematic testing or review of radiologic methods that seeks service quality improvement and patient health care” (10). The results of the current study showed evaluation has a significant role in service quality improvement; therefore, it should be considered very important. As Kyes et al. (11) mentioned the fact that radiology centers should consider evaluation as a strategic opportunity not a punishment; accordingly, they should continuously cooperate with the appraisers. They also stated that the evaluation should not be limited to one session, but performed continuously (11).

According to the above mentioned data in the result section, it is obvious that our scientific products are meaningfully lower in comparison to the under study region especially turkey as the main competitor. On the other hand, achievement of the 2025 prospect that is reaching the first position in the under study region needs double fold efforts now. Considering the fact that we have expert professors of radiology in Iran, this effort is achievable.

To reach the prospect horizon in the remaining time, our country should at least reach a four-fold increase in its scientific products compared to the current situation considering the regional country efforts and it should also accomplish a great endeavor. In this regard and for achievement of this goal, the society of radiology should adopt an active strategy. The society of radiology should prepare facilities to gather the researchers’ scientific activity data, develop journals in the field of radiology and index them in the valid international databases, increase the proportion of papers in the PubMed database via consultation with interface institutions, facilitating the publishing process in valid international databases, considering corporeal and spiritual incentives for researchers in order to encourage them in research and preparing the required conditions for those who do not have enough time for presenting their achievements as papers.

In examining the data presented here, it is important to note that the feedback provided by representatives of a small number of journals suggested an initial unwillingness to provide this data for endpoint publication use (9). Confidentiality issues and the premise that such information may be unjustly framed, potentially reflecting poorly on the standing of individual journals, were given as expressed concerns (10). For this reason, radiology evaluation in under study region showed main researches are in the clinical field and there is a few works on the management evaluation. In addition, evaluation employs a special method in which performance is compared with predefined standards (1).

In conclusion, it is obvious that promotion of radiology in Iran similar to developed countries and multilateral development is definitely needed. Therefore, development of scientific tendencies of the field could be considered as the society’s future goals that need appropriate processes. This goal is achieved by developing connections with international scientific societies.