An evaluation of medical imaging requests submitted in 2023 revealed that CT scans were medically relevant in 75% of cases, while MRI examination requests demonstrated an even higher relevance rate of 80%.
This assessment, encompassing over a thousand scanner and MRI examination requests, was conducted by a team of four French radiology professors, at the request of the Ministry of Health.
When compared to the first audit in 2016, the relevance rate for scanner examinations rose by 14%. In contrast, the relevance rate for MRI examinations remained relatively stable, experiencing a modest 2% rise to attain 80% by 2023.
Officials within the Ministry of Health have expressed satisfaction with these results, attributing the improvement to extensive awareness campaigns targeted at medical practitioners and a notable increase in the number of MRI machines, which has grown from seven to 12.
However, the assessment did identify lower relevance rates for scans related to spine and extremity examinations. In addition, in 14% of prescribed MRI examinations, alternative diagnostic methods like ultrasound or X-rays might have been more medically appropriate.
The audit also revealed that examinations ordered for children exhibited a significantly higher rate of relevance compared to those for adult patients.
