Radiologist shortage leaves patient care at risk

摘要

The UK does not have enough radiologists to meet imaging and diagnostic demands in the NHS, the Royal College of Radiologists has warned. Nearly all radiology departments in the UK (97%) said that they had been unable to meet their diagnostic reporting requirements in 2016 within their radiology staff's contracted hours, the college's 2016 census report found. "This points to an insufficient number of radiologists to meet the increasing demand for imaging and diagnostic services," it said. The census received responses from all 202 radiology department leads in the UK. The workforce crisis comes at a time of well documented shortages in other specialties, including paediatrics, obstetrics, emergency medicine, rheumatology, psychiatry, and general practice.