title: Analysis of factors correlating with medical radiological examination frequencies.
abstract: The European Commission (EC) funded project Dose Datamed 2 (DDM2) had two objectives: to collect available data on patient doses from the radiodiagnostic procedures (X-ray and nuclear medicine) in Europe, and to facilitate the implementation of the Radiation Protection 154 Guidelines (RP154). Besides the collection of frequency and dose data, two questionnaires were issued to gather information about medical radiological imaging. This article analyses a possible correlation between the collected frequency data, selected variables from the results of the detailed questionnaire and national economic data. Based on a 35 countries dataset, there is no correlation between the gross domestic product (GDP) and the total number of X-ray examinations in a country. However, there is a significant correlation (p < 0.01) between the GDP and the overall CT examination frequency. High income countries perform more CT examinations per inhabitant. That suggests that planar X-ray examinations are replaced by CT examinations.
authors: Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 5, Avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette Department of Physics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway andreas.jahnen@tudor.lu.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Jahnen
authors: Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, STUK, P.O. Box 14, 00881 Helsinki, Finland.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Järvinen
authors: Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, NRPS, P.O.box 55, No-1332 Østerås, Norway.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Olerud
authors: National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, 3, Georgi Sofijski str., Sofia 1606, Bulgaria.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Vassilieva
authors: Greek Atomic Energy Commission, EEAE, P.O. Box 60092, 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Greece.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Vogiatzi
authors: United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, UNSCEAR, P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Shannoun
authors: Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, STUK, P.O. Box 14, 00881 Helsinki, Finland.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Bly
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011859:Radiography / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011874:Radiometry; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data