ArticleBMC health services research2007
Geographical variation in radiological services: a nationwide survey.
Article in BMC health services research, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed.
- Variations in general practitioners' referrals to low-value MRI examinations in Norway: A nationwide register-based study.The European journal of general practice · 2026Article
- CT sinus imaging utilization in Norway: trends over time and variation by region, age, and sex.Research in health services & regions · 2026Article
- Temporal and geographical variations of chest x-rays: A ten-year register study from Norway.Acta radiologica open · 2025Article
- Temporal and geographical variations in musculoskeletal imaging: a register-based study in Norway with focus on potential low-value imaging.Research in health services & regions · 2025Article
- Geographical variations and potential low-value neuroimaging examinations in Norway from 2013 to 2022.Research in health services & regions · 2025Article
- Temporal and geographical variations in diagnostic imaging in Norway.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Drivers for low-value imaging: a qualitative study of stakeholders' perspectives in Norway.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- The use of low-value imaging: the role of referral practice and access to imaging services in a representative area of Norway.Insights into imaging · 2023Article
- Ethical issues with geographical variations in the provision of health care services.BMC medical ethics · 2022Article
- Geographical variations in the use of outpatient diagnostic imaging in Norway 2019.Acta radiologica open · 2022Article
- Agreement Between International Radiologists on the Appropriateness and Urgency in Lumbar Spine MRI Referrals.International journal of general medicine · 2022Article
- Towards equity: a retrospective analysis of public sector radiological resources and utilization patterns in the metropolitan and rural areas of the Western Cape Province of South Africa in 2017.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Impact on radiological practice of active guideline implementation of musculoskeletal guideline, as measured over a 12-month period.Acta radiologica open · 2021Article
- Determinants of Medical Practice Variation Among Primary Care Physicians: Protocol for a Three Phase Study.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- Experiences from Decentralised Radiological Services in Norway - a rural case study.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- Impact of mobile radiography services in nursing homes on the utilisation of diagnostic imaging procedures.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- Effects of a reimbursement change and travel times on the delivery of private and public radiology services in Norway: a register-based longitudinal study of Norwegian claims data.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2019Article
- Barriers and facilitators for guideline adherence in diagnostic imaging: an explorative study of GPs' and radiologists' perspectives.BMC health services research · 2018Article
- Ultrasound diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in the spine.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2018Review
- Index C-reactive protein predicts increased severity in acute sigmoid diverticulitis.Therapeutics and clinical risk management · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGeographical variation in health care services challenges the basic principle of fair allocation of health care resources. This study aimed to investigate geographical variation in the use of X-ray, CT, MRI and Ultrasound examinations in Norway, the contribution from public and private institutions, and the impact of accessibility and socioeconomic factors on variation in examination rates.
methodsA nationwide survey of activity in all radiological institutions for the year 2002 was used to compare the rates per thousand of examinations in the counties. The data format was files/printouts where the examinations were recorded according to a code system.
resultsOverall rates per thousand of radiological examinations varied by a factor of 2.4. The use of MRI varied from 170 to 2, and CT from 216 to 56 examinations per 1000 inhabitants. Single MRI examinations (knee, cervical spine and head/brain) ranged high in variation, as did certain other spine examinations. For examination of specific organs, the counties' use of one modality was positively correlated with the use of other modalities. Private institutions accounted for 28% of all examinations, and tended towards performing a higher proportion of single examinations with high variability. Indicators of accessibility correlated positively to variation in examination rates, partly due to the figures from the county of Oslo. Correlations between examination rates and socioeconomic factors were also highly influenced by the figures from this county.
conclusionThe counties use of radiological services varied substantially, especially CT and MRI examinations. A likely cause of the variation is differences in accessibility. The coexistence of public and private institutions may be a source of variability, along with socioeconomic factors. The findings represent a challenge to the objective of equality in access to health care services, and indicate a potential for better allocation of overall health care resources.
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