J Korean Med Sci.  2020 Oct;35(40):e368. 10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e368.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Radiology Resources in a Tertiary Hospital

• Cho J
• Lee S
• Gu BS
• Jung SH
• Kim HY

• KMID: 2507622
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e368

Abstract

Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has escalated to be a global threat to public health. Analysis of the use of radiology resources may render us insight regarding the public health behavior during pandemic. We measured the influence COVID-19 had on the use of radiology resources in terms of the number of examinations performed, and turnaround time for portable radiography.
Methods
This study was conducted at a tertiary hospital located in area where the prevalence of COVID-19 infection was low (0.01%). We compared the number of radiology examinations 1) before pandemic (in 2019) vs. during peak of pandemic (January to March 2020), and 2) before pandemic vs. after the peak of pandemic (April to June 2020) via t-tests. We repeated similar analyses for subgroups as follows: gender, age, department (outpatient, inpatient, emergency, screening), body parts, and modality. We also performed a survey of radiologic technologists regarding the turnaround time and rate-limiting step of portable radiography for patients with and without suspicion or confirmation of COVID-19.
Results
Although not statistically significant, the daily number of examinations during the peak of pandemic decreased by 9 percentage points (2,638 vs. 2,413; difference [95% CI], −225 [−489, 38]; P = 0.094). The percentage change was especially notable for children, emergency, and screening department (25, 19, and 44 percentage points, respectively). After the peak of the pandemic, the number of examinations increased back to near the prepandemic level (2,638 vs. 2,588; −50 [−317, 218]; P = 0.71). The turnaround time for portable radiography tended to be longer for patients with suspicion or confirmation of COVID-19, with donning personal protective equipment being the major rate-limiting step.
Conclusion
The number of examinations decreased during the pandemic, reflecting the tendency of the public to refrain from seeking medical care even in a community of low infection risk. Nevertheless, burden of healthcare providers may not have decreased as much, considering longer turnaround time required for COVID-19 related examinations.

Keyword

Health Resources; Infections; COVID-19; Pandemics; Korea

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Line graphs showing the change in the average daily number of radiology examinations from January 2019 to June 2020. The line graph with gray shading shows change in the daily nationwide number of newly-confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a peak in March 2020.COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019, CT = computed tomography, MRI = magnetic resonance imaging.

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  Fig. 2 Stacked bar charts showing the responses of radiologic technologists regarding the turnaround time of portable radiography examination for patients with suspicion, confirmation of COVID-19, and without suspicion or confirmation of COVID-19.COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019.

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  Fig. 3 Stacked bar charts showing responses of radiologic technologists regarding the rate-limiting step of portable radiography examination for patients with suspicion, confirmation of COVID-19, and without suspicion or confirmation of COVID-19.PPE = personal protective equipment, COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019.

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