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. 2020 Nov 23;11(1):121.
doi: 10.1186/s13244-020-00925-z.

Workload for radiologists during on-call hours: dramatic increase in the past 15 years

R J M Bruls  1 , R M Kwee  2
Affiliations

Workload for radiologists during on-call hours: dramatic increase in the past 15 years

R J M Bruls et al. Insights Imaging. .

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the workload for radiologists during on-call hours and to quantify the 15-year trend in a large general hospital in Western Europe.

Methods: Data regarding the number of X-ray, ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) studies during on-call hours (weekdays between 6.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m., weekends, and national holidays) between 2006 and 2020 were extracted from the picture archiving and communication system. All studies were converted into relative value units (RVUs) to estimate the on-call workload. The Mann-Kendall test was performed to assess the temporal trend.

Results: The total RVUs during on-call hours showed a significant increase between 2006 and 2020 (Kendall's tau-b = 0.657, p = 0.001). The overall workload in terms of RVUs during on-call hours has quadrupled. The number of X-ray studies significantly decreased (Kendall's tau-b = - 0.433, p = 0.026), whereas the number of CT studies significantly increased (Kendall's tau-b = 0.875, p < 0.001) between 2006 and 2020. CT studies which increased by more than 500% between 2006 and 2020 are CT for head trauma, brain CTA, brain CTV, chest CT (for suspected pulmonary embolism), spinal CT, neck CT, pelvic CT, and CT for suspected aortic dissection. The number of ultrasound studies did not change significantly (Kendall's tau-b = 0.202, p = 0.298).

Conclusions: The workload for radiologists during on-call hours increased dramatically in the past 15 years. The growing amount of CT studies is responsible for this increase. Radiologist and technician workforce should be matched to this ongoing increasing trend to avoid potential burn-out and to maintain quality and safety of radiological care.

Keywords: After-hours care; Emergencies; Radiology; Workload.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Relative value units of on-call studies per modality. Temporal trend of the relative value units of on-call studies per modality (XR, US, and CT) and of all modalities together, for the entire month of January of the years 2006 through 2020
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Number of on-call studies per modality. Temporal trend of the number of on-call studies per modality (XR, US, and CT) for the entire month of January of the years 2006 through 2020
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Number of on-call studies per modality between 0.00 and 7.00 am. Temporal trend of the number of on-call studies per modality (XR, US, and CT) between 0.00 and 7.00 am, for the entire month of January of the years 2006 through 2020
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Number of CT procedures during on-call hours. Temporal trend of CT procedures during on-call hours, for the entire month of January of the years 2006 through 2020. Only CT procedures which significantly increased are displayed in the graph
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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