The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study
Objective This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes. Methods This retrospective study analyzed data from the Integrated Radiology Information System-Picture Archive and Communication System (RIS-PACS), including monthly medical imag...
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PeerJ Inc.
2025-03-01
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| author | Fahad H. Alhazmi Faisal A. Alrehily Walaa Alsharif Moawia Gameraddin Kamal D. Alsultan Hassan Ibrahim Alsaedi Khalid M. Aloufi Sultan Abdulwadoud Alshoabi Osamah M. Abdulaal Abdulaziz A. Qurashi |
| author_facet | Fahad H. Alhazmi Faisal A. Alrehily Walaa Alsharif Moawia Gameraddin Kamal D. Alsultan Hassan Ibrahim Alsaedi Khalid M. Aloufi Sultan Abdulwadoud Alshoabi Osamah M. Abdulaal Abdulaziz A. Qurashi |
| author_sort | Fahad H. Alhazmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes. Methods This retrospective study analyzed data from the Integrated Radiology Information System-Picture Archive and Communication System (RIS-PACS), including monthly medical imaging case volumes at a public hospital, spanning from January 2019 to December 2022. The study collected data on medical imaging examinations, comparing the pre COVID-19 period, which acted as a control group, with the periods following COVID-19, which were designated as cohort groups. Results The total number of medical imaging procedures performed (n = 597,645) was found significantly different (F = 6.69, P < 0.001) between 2019 and 2022. Specifically, the bone mineral density/computed radiography (BMD/CR) modality experienced a significant decrease (P = 0.01) of the procedures performed in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019. Conversely, the nuclear medicine/computed tomography (NM/CT) and computed tomography (CT) modalities demonstrated a significant increase of the procedures performed in 2021 (P = 0.04) and (P < 0.0001), respectively, and in 2022 (P = 0.0095) and (P < 0.0001), respectively, compared to the pre-pandemic year. The digital X-ray modality (DX) showed the highest volume (67.63%) of the performed procedures overall between 2019 and 2022. Meanwhile, magnetic resonance imaging (MR) and ultrasound (US) modalities experienced a slight drop in the number of procedures in 2020—4.47% for MR and 1.00% for US, which subsequently recovered by 22.15% and 19.74% in 2021, and 24.36% and 17.40% in 2022, respectively, compared to 2019. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic initially led to a drop in the number of medical imaging procedures performed in 2020, with the most noticeable drop occurring during the early waves of the pandemic. However, this trend revealed a gradual recovery in the subsequent years, 2021 and 2022, as healthcare systems adapted, and pandemic-related restrictions were modified. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce2d3378ab5a4addb6dc4219fefc0841 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ce2d3378ab5a4addb6dc4219fefc08412025-08-20T03:02:14ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-03-0113e1898710.7717/peerj.18987The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective studyFahad H. Alhazmi0Faisal A. Alrehily1Walaa Alsharif2Moawia Gameraddin3Kamal D. Alsultan4Hassan Ibrahim Alsaedi5Khalid M. Aloufi6Sultan Abdulwadoud Alshoabi7Osamah M. Abdulaal8Abdulaziz A. Qurashi9Department of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaMedical Imaging Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawarah, Saudi ArabiaObjective This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes. Methods This retrospective study analyzed data from the Integrated Radiology Information System-Picture Archive and Communication System (RIS-PACS), including monthly medical imaging case volumes at a public hospital, spanning from January 2019 to December 2022. The study collected data on medical imaging examinations, comparing the pre COVID-19 period, which acted as a control group, with the periods following COVID-19, which were designated as cohort groups. Results The total number of medical imaging procedures performed (n = 597,645) was found significantly different (F = 6.69, P < 0.001) between 2019 and 2022. Specifically, the bone mineral density/computed radiography (BMD/CR) modality experienced a significant decrease (P = 0.01) of the procedures performed in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019. Conversely, the nuclear medicine/computed tomography (NM/CT) and computed tomography (CT) modalities demonstrated a significant increase of the procedures performed in 2021 (P = 0.04) and (P < 0.0001), respectively, and in 2022 (P = 0.0095) and (P < 0.0001), respectively, compared to the pre-pandemic year. The digital X-ray modality (DX) showed the highest volume (67.63%) of the performed procedures overall between 2019 and 2022. Meanwhile, magnetic resonance imaging (MR) and ultrasound (US) modalities experienced a slight drop in the number of procedures in 2020—4.47% for MR and 1.00% for US, which subsequently recovered by 22.15% and 19.74% in 2021, and 24.36% and 17.40% in 2022, respectively, compared to 2019. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic initially led to a drop in the number of medical imaging procedures performed in 2020, with the most noticeable drop occurring during the early waves of the pandemic. However, this trend revealed a gradual recovery in the subsequent years, 2021 and 2022, as healthcare systems adapted, and pandemic-related restrictions were modified.https://peerj.com/articles/18987.pdfRadiologyMedical imagingCOVID-19Pandemic |
| spellingShingle | Fahad H. Alhazmi Faisal A. Alrehily Walaa Alsharif Moawia Gameraddin Kamal D. Alsultan Hassan Ibrahim Alsaedi Khalid M. Aloufi Sultan Abdulwadoud Alshoabi Osamah M. Abdulaal Abdulaziz A. Qurashi The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study PeerJ Radiology Medical imaging COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title | The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study |
| title_full | The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study |
| title_fullStr | The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study |
| title_short | The extended impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes: a retrospective study |
| title_sort | extended impact of the covid 19 pandemic on medical imaging case volumes a retrospective study |
| topic | Radiology Medical imaging COVID-19 Pandemic |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/18987.pdf |
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