Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency on Italian radiologists: a national survey
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HEALTH ECONOMY
Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency on Italian radiologists: a national survey Domenico Albano 1,2 & Antonio Bruno 3 & Federico Bruno 4 & Marco Calandri 5,6 & Damiano Caruso 7 & Alfredo Clemente 8 & Pietro Coppolino 9 & Diletta Cozzi 10 & Riccardo De Robertis 11 & Francesco Gentili 12 & Irene Grazzini 13 & Maria Laura Jannone 14 & Carlo Liguori 15 & Raffaele Natella 8 & Genny Pace 16 & Alessandro Posa 17 & Paola Scalise 18 & Bruno Accarino 19 & Corrado Bibbolino 20 & Antonio Barile 4 & Roberto Grassi 8 & Carmelo Messina 1,21 & On behalf of the Young SIRM Working Group Received: 12 May 2020 / Revised: 5 June 2020 / Accepted: 25 June 2020 # European Society of Radiology 2020
Abstract Objectives To perform an online survey aimed at evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on Italian radiology departments. Methods We launched a survey composed of 25 questions about how COVID-19 has changed the safety and organization of daily activity in Italian radiology units. Results A total of 2136/10,564 (20.2%) radiologists of the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology participated. Two-thirds performed at least one diagnostic/interventional procedure on COVID-19 patients. The 88.1% reported a reduction in the elective imaging volumes, with US, mammography, and MRI having shown the greater decrease (41.1%, 23.9%, and 21.1%, respectively). In 69.6% of cases, institutions had trouble getting personal protective equipment (PPE), especially public hospitals and southern institutions. Less than 30% of participants were subjected to RT-PCR swab test, although 81.5% believed that it should be done on all health workers and 70% suggested it as the most important measure to improve safety at work. Slightly more than half of participants declared to work safely and felt to be adequately protected by their institutions. Up to 20% of northern participants were redeployed to clinical services. The first imaging examination performed by admitted COVID-19 patients was chest radiography in 76.3% of cases. Almost half of participants reported that less than 30% of health workers were infected in their radiology department, with higher rates in northern regions and public institutions. Conclusions This snapshot of the current situation in Italian radiology departments could be used to harmonize the organization of working activity in order to safely and effectively face this pandemic. Key Points • More than two-thirds of institutions had trouble getting PPE for health workers, with public hospitals and southern institutions that presented more procurement problems • A substantial drop of imaging volumes was observed in the vast majority of Italian radiology departments, mostly due to the decrease of ultrasound, mammography, and MRI, especially in private practice were working activity was stopped in 13.3% of institutions • RT-PCR swab to health workers was reported as the most suggested measure by Italian radiologists to improve safety at work, as more than 80% of them believed that it should be perfo
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