Observational studyMedicine2025
Investigating the seasonality pattern of ultrasound requests and its association with photoperiod: A cross-sectional retrospective study.
Observational study in Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Seasonal variations in healthcare utilization, particularly in medical imaging services such as ultrasound (US), are gaining interest because of their potential links with environmental factors such as photoperiod. Although previous research has documented seasonal changes in healthcare activities, the seasonality of imaging requests remains underexplored, which could impact resource planning. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal patterns of US requests and their association with the photoperiod. We analyzed a 3-year dataset of 20,142 US requests from Samtah General Hospital in Jazan. The photoperiod, defined as daily daylight hours, was calculated using the "season" package in R based on the coordinates of the hospital. Statistical analyses included Cox generalized linear regression to assess seasonality, multinomial regression to explore the relationship between US requests and photoperiod, and binomial logistic regression to evaluate the association between order priority and photoperiod. Significant seasonality was noted for all US requests, peaking in August and November. The subtypes varied in seasonal amplitudes, with abdominal and pelvic scans exhibiting the highest fluctuations. A positive correlation was identified between the photoperiod and the 3D US scan subtype. Additionally, the US order priority showed seasonal patterns, with routine cases peaking in December and urgent cases in September. This study highlights the seasonality of ultrasound requests and their correlation with the photoperiod in the Jazan region. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective health care planning and resource allocation. Future research should integrate more contextual factors to clarify the relationship between seasonality and diagnostic practices, optimize healthcare services, and improve patient outcomes in Jazan.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.