Reducing unnecessary MRI and CT scans could cut wait times: study

Pietro Longhi. The Pharmacist. Galleria dell'Accademia, Venice

Wait times for MRI and CT scans in Ontario - and probably elsewhere in Canada - could be reduced by cutting back on unnecessary scans ordered by doctors, a new study suggests.
"I think all of Canada is experiencing challenges with wait times. And I guess our message would be if you can cut down the inappropriate use, then you can actually improve access for the people who actually will benefit," lead author Dr. John You said.

The title of this post is taken from an article in the website of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Radiologists might smile wearily, but I guess it's intended for the general public who may not be aware of what we all take for granted. In fact, there are some interesting findings about variations in imaging utilisation and the diagnostic yield of various common investigations. The authors of the study suggest that:

The province should develop a web-based ordering system that would capture, in real time, the reasons why imaging tests are ordered and test results. Such a system would make it easier to audit the appropriateness of ordering patterns.

Read more here.

The study is said to have been published in the June issue of the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal but I couldn't find it in the table of contents. Perhaps they meant July.