ArticleClinical imaging2021
Increased per-patient imaging utilization in an emergency department setting during COVID-19.
Article in Clinical imaging, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Growth rates in cross-sectional abdominal imaging studies by imaging modality and patient class: an increasing proportion of acute care examinations has implications for future needs.Abdominal radiology (New York) · 2026Article
- Computed Tomographic Angiography and Yield for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Emergency Department.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Trends in non-focal neurological chief complaints and CT angiography utilization among adults in the emergency department.Internal and emergency medicine · 2024Observational
- Race and Ethnicity and Primary Language in Emergency Department Triage.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Evaluating GPT as an Adjunct for Radiologic Decision Making: GPT-4 Versus GPT-3.5 in a Breast Imaging Pilot.Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR · 2023Article
- Trends in oncological imaging during the COVID-19 pandemic through the vaccination era.Cancer medicine · 2023Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of diagnostic imaging examinations in the Brazilian unified healthcare system (SUS).Health policy and technology · 2023Article
- Trends in Academic Productivity Among Radiologists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR · 2023Article
- Institutional Surgical Response and Associated Volume Trends Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic and Postvaccination Recovery Period.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Abdominal Imaging Utilization during the First COVID-19 Surge and Utility of Abdominal MRI.Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.) · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionCOVID-19 has resulted in decreases in absolute imaging volumes, however imaging utilization on a per-patient basis has not been reported. Here we compare per-patient imaging utilization, characterized by imaging studies and work relative value units (wRVUs), in an emergency department (ED) during a COVID-19 surge to the same period in 2019.
methodsThis retrospective study included patients presenting to the ED from April 1-May 1, 2020 and 2019. Patients were stratified into three primary subgroups: all patients (n = 9580, n = 5686), patients presenting with respiratory complaints (n = 1373, n = 2193), and patients presenting without respiratory complaints (n = 8207, n = 3493). The primary outcome was imaging studies/patient and wRVU/patient. Secondary analysis was by disposition and COVID status. Comparisons were via the Wilcoxon rank-sum or Chi-squared tests.
resultsThe total patients, imaging exams, and wRVUs during the 2020 and 2019 periods were 5686 and 9580 (-41%), 6624 and 8765 (-24%), and 4988 and 7818 (-36%), respectively, and the percentage patients receiving any imaging was 67% and 51%, respectively (p < .0001). In 2020 there was a 170% relative increase in patients presenting with respiratory complaints. In 2020, patients without respiratory complaints generated 24% more wRVU/patient (p < .0001) and 33% more studies/patient (p < .0001), highlighted by 38% more CTs/patient.
conclusionWe report increased per-patient imaging utilization in an emergency department during COVID-19, particularly in patients without respiratory complaints.
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