Well, RSNA 2022 is a wrap. I have attended over 30 RSNA meetings, and this one harkened back to the energy of the pre-pandemic era of meetings. For those who have not attended a medical meeting of this magnitude, it is about what you expect — everything is super-sized.
My observations of the meeting revolve around the educational content and the vendor areas. It always seems to be centered on these two points.
The educational content appears to be in a period of some transition in recent years. We are now moving from the hour-long, depth-probing lectures of the past into the bite-sized information aliquots that the new wave of trainees and young physicians seem to prefer. A one hour session is now more likely to have three lecturers as opposed to the prior one.
I don’t mind this, but I also must confess to missing the depth that you could reach in a 45-to-60-minute probing of a topic. They always felt to me like reading a Scientific American article. Anyone could read the first few paragraphs. But then it got deeper, and by the end, you’d better be pretty aware of the topic. It could even get arcane. But I learned so much. The 10-to-15-minute talks seem rushed and less able to dig deep into a topic.
The scientific exhibits, however, seemed to provide more information. There were still posters that you can sit down in front of and really pay attention to. Unfortunately, you might not get the CME benefit credit you should. The electronic exhibits were generally quite good to spectacular, although some authors go overboard on the animations.
The vendor spaces were still very purchase-equipment centric, as you might imagine. The booths were more ornate, larger, and required map services to navigate. But you could see everything, have almost everything demonstrated to you competently, and not feel too much pressure. It has always been overwhelming to most, but it was still informative and very well done.
My final observations on RSNA 2022 were the people elements. Seating areas at RSNA went for a premium. I think you could sell tickets to comfortable seats at the entrance to the technical exhibits for a large sum. Predatory folks linger about, waiting to pounce on open chairs. They could triple this seating area and still not have enough chairs for attendees. And finally, coffee. Why on earth a coffee shop in McCormick would only have two barristas working during RSNA is a mystery. No wonder the lines go around the block. We are coffee-fueled, and need our coffee, now.
Overall, RSNA 2022 was a magnificent meeting, and it was such a pleasure to be back in person, meeting and greeting.
Dr. Phillips has no conflict of interests to report.
Image by VectorSpace06 / Shutterstock
