The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global health systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate how imaging volumes and imaging types in radiology departments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across different locations. Methods: Imaging volumes in the Aseer region (in the south of S...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Magbool Alelyani, Ali Alghamdi, Nasser Shubayr, Yazeed Alashban, Hajar Almater, Sultan Alamri, Ahmad Joman Alghamdi
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: MDPI AG 2021
Materias:
R
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/edcbe8b1821745cd8a7c61e7aa1cef19
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
id oai:doaj.org-article:edcbe8b1821745cd8a7c61e7aa1cef19
record_format dspace
spelling oai:doaj.org-article:edcbe8b1821745cd8a7c61e7aa1cef192021-11-25T18:19:21ZThe Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study10.3390/medicines81100702305-6320https://doaj.org/article/edcbe8b1821745cd8a7c61e7aa1cef192021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/8/11/70https://doaj.org/toc/2305-6320COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global health systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate how imaging volumes and imaging types in radiology departments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across different locations. Methods: Imaging volumes in the Aseer region (in the south of Saudi Arabia) across main hospitals were reviewed retrospectively including all cases referred from different locations (outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments). Data for years 2019 and 2020 were compared. The mean monthly cases were compared using a <i>t</i>-test. Results: The total imaging volumes in 2019 were 205,805 compared to 159,107 in 2020 with a 22.7% overall reduction. A substantial decline was observed in both the April to June and the July to September periods of approximately 42.9% and 44.4%, respectively. With respect to location, between April and June, the greatest decline was observed in outpatient departments (76% decline), followed by emergency departments (25% decline), and the least impact was observed in inpatient departments, with only 6.8% decline over the same period. According to modality type, the greatest decreases were reported in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, MRI, and mammography, by 100%, 76%, 74%, and 66%, respectively. Our results show a statistically significant (<i>p</i>-value <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mo>≤</mo></semantics></math></inline-formula> 0.05) decrease of cases in 2020 compared to 2019, except for mammography procedures. Conclusion: There has been a significant decline in radiology volumes due to COVID-19. The overall reduction in radiology volumes was dependent on the stage/period of lockdown, location, and imaging modality.Magbool AlelyaniAli AlghamdiNasser ShubayrYazeed AlashbanHajar AlmaterSultan AlamriAhmad Joman AlghamdiMDPI AGarticleCOVID-19medical imagingradiologySaudi ArabiaMedicineRENMedicines, Vol 8, Iss 70, p 70 (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic COVID-19
medical imaging
radiology
Saudi Arabia
Medicine
R
spellingShingle COVID-19
medical imaging
radiology
Saudi Arabia
Medicine
R
Magbool Alelyani
Ali Alghamdi
Nasser Shubayr
Yazeed Alashban
Hajar Almater
Sultan Alamri
Ahmad Joman Alghamdi
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study
description COVID-19 has had a significant impact on global health systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate how imaging volumes and imaging types in radiology departments have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic across different locations. Methods: Imaging volumes in the Aseer region (in the south of Saudi Arabia) across main hospitals were reviewed retrospectively including all cases referred from different locations (outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments). Data for years 2019 and 2020 were compared. The mean monthly cases were compared using a <i>t</i>-test. Results: The total imaging volumes in 2019 were 205,805 compared to 159,107 in 2020 with a 22.7% overall reduction. A substantial decline was observed in both the April to June and the July to September periods of approximately 42.9% and 44.4%, respectively. With respect to location, between April and June, the greatest decline was observed in outpatient departments (76% decline), followed by emergency departments (25% decline), and the least impact was observed in inpatient departments, with only 6.8% decline over the same period. According to modality type, the greatest decreases were reported in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, MRI, and mammography, by 100%, 76%, 74%, and 66%, respectively. Our results show a statistically significant (<i>p</i>-value <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mo>≤</mo></semantics></math></inline-formula> 0.05) decrease of cases in 2020 compared to 2019, except for mammography procedures. Conclusion: There has been a significant decline in radiology volumes due to COVID-19. The overall reduction in radiology volumes was dependent on the stage/period of lockdown, location, and imaging modality.
format article
author Magbool Alelyani
Ali Alghamdi
Nasser Shubayr
Yazeed Alashban
Hajar Almater
Sultan Alamri
Ahmad Joman Alghamdi
author_facet Magbool Alelyani
Ali Alghamdi
Nasser Shubayr
Yazeed Alashban
Hajar Almater
Sultan Alamri
Ahmad Joman Alghamdi
author_sort Magbool Alelyani
title The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study
title_short The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study
title_full The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study
title_fullStr The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Case Volumes in Aseer Region: A Retrospective Study
title_sort impact of the covid-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes in aseer region: a retrospective study
publisher MDPI AG
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/edcbe8b1821745cd8a7c61e7aa1cef19
work_keys_str_mv AT magboolalelyani theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT alialghamdi theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT nassershubayr theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT yazeedalashban theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT hajaralmater theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT sultanalamri theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT ahmadjomanalghamdi theimpactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT magboolalelyani impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT alialghamdi impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT nassershubayr impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT yazeedalashban impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT hajaralmater impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT sultanalamri impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
AT ahmadjomanalghamdi impactofthecovid19pandemiconmedicalimagingcasevolumesinaseerregionaretrospectivestudy
_version_ 1718411354350551040