Department of Radiology, Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
Department of Radiology, Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
Diagn Interv Radiol. 2023 Jan 31;29(1):46-52. doi: 10.4274/dir.2022.221713. Epub 2023 Jan 5.
This study featured a survey that offers a snapshot of various teleradiology practices in Turkey, a Group of Twenty country that has undertaken a major transformation of its health care system during the last two decades and is currently the world leader in terms of the combined number of per capita magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography examinations performed (which represent the bulk of teleradiology services worldwide).
The study data was collected from 4736 Turkish Society of Radiology (TSR) members via an electronic platform in the web environment through a questionnaire consisting of 24 questions. The survey was conducted in a 3-month time window (March-May 2021). Statistical tools were used for the analysis of the quantitative data.
Responses from 156 members of the TSR comprised the study data, revealing that teleradiology is used for various applications in Turkey. Almost half of the participants (49%) performed teleradiology only in the private sector. Half of the respondents (51%) stated that they reported images at home for multiple centers. Moreover, 38% of the participants had been reporting more than 50 examinations per day, and 74% of the respondents earned less than 0.50 Euro per examination they reported. The overall satisfaction with teleradiology among the teleradiologists was, on average, 4.7 out of 10 points.
The results are both promising for the future (i.e., concerning the propensity for adopting new technology) and alarming for the current state of affairs (i.e., insufficient radiologist reimbursement and lack of licensing and accreditation of teleradiology service providers). Periodic surveys performed in countries with different health care systems concerning financial, technical, and medicolegal aspects might reveal an up-to-date landscape of teleradiology practices worldwide and help guide local and regional decision-makers.
本研究通过一项调查，描绘了土耳其的远程放射学实践情况。土耳其是二十国集团（G20）成员国之一，过去二十年来，其医疗体系发生了重大变革，在人均磁共振成像和计算机断层扫描检查数量方面位居世界首位（这代表了全球远程放射学服务的大部分）。
通过电子平台在网络环境中，向土耳其放射学会（TSR）的 4736 名成员发送了包含 24 个问题的问卷，收集了研究数据。调查在 3 个月的时间窗口（2021 年 3 月至 5 月）内进行。使用统计工具对定量数据进行分析。
TSR 的 156 名成员的回复构成了研究数据，揭示了远程放射学在土耳其的各种应用。近一半的参与者（49%）仅在私营部门开展远程放射学工作。一半的受访者（51%）表示他们在家为多个中心报告图像。此外，38%的参与者每天报告的检查超过 50 次，74%的受访者报告的每份检查收入不到 0.50 欧元。平均而言，远程放射科医生对远程放射学的总体满意度为 10 分中的 4.7 分。
结果对于未来（即采用新技术的倾向）来说是有希望的，而对于当前的情况（即放射科医生的报酬不足以及远程放射学服务提供商缺乏许可和认证）来说则是令人担忧的。在具有不同医疗体系的国家中，定期开展有关财务、技术和医疗法律方面的调查，可能会揭示全球远程放射学实践的最新情况，并有助于指导当地和地区决策者。
