Measuring Consultant Radiologist workload: method and results from a national survey

OBJECTIVES: The role of the Consultant Radiologist has changed substantially in recent decades, yet manpower planning is often based on older inappropriate methods of measuring Radiologist workload. We report a nationwide survey of Consultant Radiologist workload in Ireland in 2009. METHODS: Relative value units (RVUs) were assigned to easily countable studies. Hospitals’ activity was collated for the full calendar year of 2009. Radiologist time engaged in activities not easily counted (interventional and procedural work, multi-disciplinary meetings, teaching, administration, etc.) was separately measured. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 28 of 38 public hospital radiology departments. Mean Consultant Radiologist workload across all hospitals was 57,659.1 crude RVUs/WTE and 103,987 net RVUs/WTE. A mean of 32.47% of WTEs are engaged in non-countable activity. Means of 85.35% and 65.73% of the required numbers of WTEs were available in 2009 to achieve respectively annual crude and net RVU/WTE figures of 45,000. Excluding Specialist Centres, plain films accounted for 28–41% of recorded activity, mammography for 0.8–5.8%, US for 16–20%, CT for 27–32% and MR for 5.9–15.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Irish Consultant Radiologist staffing levels are well below appropriate international benchmarks for the current workload. Approximately one-third of radiologist time is engaged in activity not easily counted in study numbers.