Dear Editor
I agree entirely with Dr Maskell’s analysis of the rapid growth in demand for medical imaging. As an anecdotal illustration of this growth, for my first nightshift as the on-call radiology registrar in Edinburgh in 2009 I received no calls the whole night, whereas a current trainee recently noted they had reported more CT scans overnight than Liz Truss served days as Prime Minister. The impact of this increased demand is keenly felt in radiology departments across the country, but is not restricted to workforce or financial considerations. The climate impact of imaging (particularly in regard to high energy consumption modalities such as CT and MRI) is an ever-growing concern – inappropriate imaging demonstrably does more harm than good. Dr Maskell suggests “it will require something much more radical than a new set of guidelines” to buck this trend. I fear that ecological catastrophe may ultimately deliver that radical impetus, but in an era in which Prime Ministers can be replaced so rapidly, perhaps imaging referral patterns can be as well.
Dr Michael Jackson
Consultant Paediatric Radiologist
Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Edinburgh
Re: Why does demand for medical imaging keep rising?