Impacto de la pandemia del COVID-19 en la carga de trabajo de la radiología en Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53903/01212095.193Keywords:
Radiology, Diagnostic Imaging, Workload, Pandemics, COVID-19Abstract
Abstract:
Objective: To characterize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the radiology workload in Colombia.
Materials and methods: Retrospective study, based on Ministry of Health databases, of radiological studies performed between 2015 and 2021. The number of procedures during the pre-pandemic period was compared with the years 2020 and 2021, as well as with the initial months, and each of the three peaks of COVID-19, analyzing all studies in general, imaging modality used, anatomical region studied, setting in which the study was performed and, in particular, chest CT.
Results: Between 2015 and 2019 the total number of procedures grew 82.86% (from 8,130,001 to 14,866,163), but in both 2020 and 2021 there was a reduction compared to 2019 (-28.24% and -11.99%, respectively). The sharpest reductions occurred both in the first months of the pandemic (-37.52%), and in the first two peaks (-44.37% and -49.65%); the reduction in the third peak was smaller despite coinciding with a higher number of cases (-10.88%). Chest CT had a different behavior compared to general radiology, increasing +22.70% in 2020, and +51.84% in 2021, and had increases in each of the three peaks, parallel to the number of cases (+26.51%, +34.63%, +86.09%, respectively).
Conclusion: Changes in radiology workload secondary to the pandemic depended on multifactorial determinants, and understanding them contributes to planning responses to future emerging contingencies.
Keywords: Radiology; Diagnostic Imaging; Workload; COVID-19; Pandemics.
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