Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Workload of Diagnostic Radiology: A 2-Year Observational Study in a Tertiary Referral Hospital

Rizzetto, Francesco; Gnocchi, Giulia; Travaglini, Fosco; Rocco, Gabriella Di; Rizzo, Aldo; Carbonaro, Luca A.; Vanzulli, Angelo

doi:10.1016/j.acra.2022.06.002

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(24 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In subsequent periods an increase in the total number of examinations was shown [17]. This change in trend was particularly evident in CT imaging, which saw a significant rise, likely due to its pivotal role in COVID-19 diagnostics [18]. In line with this, our data show that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant reduction in ultrasound examinations in Germany.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in sonographic examinations – is this a continuing trend?

Kottlors,

Fervers,

Froelich

et al. 2024

Rofo

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 infections since spring 2020 the patient care workflow underwent changes in Germany. To minimize face-to-face exposure and reduce infection risk, non-time-critical elective medical procedures were postponed. Since ultrasound examinations include non-time-critical elective examinations and often can be substituted by other imaging modalities not requiring direct patient contact, the number of examinations has declined significantly. The aim of this study is to quantify the baseline number of ultrasound examinations in the years before, during, and in the early post-pandemic period of the COVID-19 pandemic (since January 2015 to September 2023), and to measure the number of examinations at different German university hospitals. Materials and Methods The number of examinations was assessed based on a web-based database at all participating clinics at the indicated time points. Results N = 288 562 sonographic examinations from four sites were included in the present investigation. From January 2020 to June 2020, a significantly lower number of examinations of n = 591.21 vs. 698.43 (p = 0.01) per month and included center was performed. Also, excluding the initial pandemic period until June 2020, significantly fewer ultrasound examinations were performed compared to pre-pandemic years 648.1 vs. 698.4 (p < 0.05), per month and included center, while here differences between the individual centers were observed. In the late phase of the pandemic (n = 681.96) and in the post-pandemic phase (as defined by the WHO criteria from May 2023; n = 739.95), the number of sonographic examinations returned to pre-pandemic levels. Conclusion The decline in the number of sonographic examinations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was initially largely intentional and can be illustrated quantitatively. After an initial abrupt decline in sonographic examinations, the pre-pandemic levels could not be reached for a long time, which could be due to restructuring of patient care and follow-up treatment. In the post-pandemic phase, the pre-pandemic level has been achieved again. The reasons for a prolonged reduction in ultrasound examinations are discussed in this article. Key points

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…In subsequent periods an increase in the total number of examinations was shown 17 . This change in trend was particularly evident in CT imaging, which saw a significant rise, likely due to its pivotal role in COVID-19 diagnostics 18 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in sonographic examinations – is this a continuing trend?

Kottlors,

Fervers,

Froelich

et al. 2024

Rofo

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…When the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic a global emergency in March 2020 [2], this changed rapidly, as government shutdowns and mandatory social isolation necessitated a shift from in-person to remote readouts [3,4]. In response to local, state, and federal mandates, there was an immediate reduction in procedural and imaging case volume [5][6][7] attributable to the cancellation of elective studies and reduction of inpatient and emergency imaging [8,9]. This decrease in case volumes was mirrored in the radiology resident experience, with a nearly two-thirds decline in resident-interpreted studies [5,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for an adverse impact of remote readouts on radiology resident productivity: Implications for training and clinical practice

Gordon,

Wingrove,

Branstetter IV

et al. 2023

PLOS Digit Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

After their rapid adoption at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, remote case reviews (remote readouts) between diagnostic radiology residents and their attendings have persisted in an increasingly remote workforce, despite relaxing social distancing guidelines. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of the transition to remote readouts on resident case volumes after the recovery of institutional volumes. We tabulated radiology reports co-authored by first-to-third-year radiology residents (R1-R3) between July 1 and December 31 of the first pandemic year, 2020, and compared to the prior two pre-pandemic years. Half-years were analyzed because institutional volumes recovered by July 2020. Resident volumes were normalized to rotations, which were in divisions categorized by the location of the supervising faculty during the pandemic period; in ’remote’ divisions, all faculty worked off-site, whereas ’hybrid’ divisions had a mix of attendings working on-site and remotely. All residents worked on-site. Data analysis was performed with Student’s t test and multivariate linear regression. The largest drops in total case volume occurred in the two remote divisions (38% [6,086 to 3,788], and 26% [11,046 to 8,149]). None of the hybrid divisions with both in-person and remote supervision decreased by more than 5%. With multivariate regression, a resident assigned to a standardized remote rotation in 2020 would complete 32% (253 to 172) fewer studies than in identical pre-pandemic rotations (coefficent of −81.6, p = .005) but would be similar for hybrid rotations. R1 residents would be expected to interpret 40% fewer (180 to 108) cases on remote rotations during the pandemic (coefficient of −72.3, p = .007). No significant effect was seen for R2 or R3 residents (p = .099 and p = .29, respectively). Radiology residents interpreted fewer studies during remote rotations than on hybrid rotations that included in-person readouts. As resident case volume is correlated with clinical performance and board pass rate, monitoring the readout model for downstream educational effects is essential. Until evidence shows that educational outcomes remain unchanged, radiology residencies may wish to preserve in-person resident readouts, particularly for junior residents.

show abstract

“…Given radiology's integral role in healthcare [16] and its key function as a frontline COVID clinical service, the pandemic inevitably led to changes in diagnostic imaging [17]. Radiology departments experienced increased demand for emergency pulmonary imaging while rationalizing access to non-urgent and elective studies [18]. Additionally, in many instances, radiology staff were redeployed to clinical duties in COVID areas, which included internal medicine wards and COVID testing stations, and patients deferred routine investigations [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Utilization of Public Sector Radiological Services in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Teuteberg,

Barnard,

Fernandez

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundCoronavirus (COVID-19) was officially declared a pandemic in March 2020 and has had a major impact on global healthcare services, including radiology. However, little is known about the full impact of COVID-19 on the utilization of diagnostic imaging in Africa's public healthcare sector. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to compare public sector diagnostic imaging utilization by modality for the whole Western Cape Province (WCP) of South Africa (SA), as well as its metropolitan and rural areas, in 2019 and 2020 in terms of the absolute number of investigations and investigations per 1000 people. MethodWe performed a retrospective analysis of Western Cape Government Department of Health and Wellness and Stats SA District Council 2021 Mid-Year Population Estimates data. All diagnostic imaging investigations performed in 2019 and 2020 were collated and stratified by imaging modality, geographic region (metropolitan/rural), and calendar year. Data are presented as the total number of investigations and investigations per 1000 people. We calculated mammography utilization for women aged 40-70 years and compared data for 2019 and 2020. Results

show abstract

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Workload of Diagnostic Radiology: A 2-Year Observational Study in a Tertiary Referral Hospital

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in sonographic examinations – is this a continuing trend?

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in sonographic examinations – is this a continuing trend?

Evidence for an adverse impact of remote readouts on radiology resident productivity: Implications for training and clinical practice

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Utilization of Public Sector Radiological Services in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About