Awareness of strengths and weaknesses of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) – Results from a questionnaire survey

Extensive research has established cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) as a powerful tool for diagnosing and monitoring various cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, CMR has yet to reach its full potential in routine clinical care, which is mainly due to reimbursement issues. Among other factors, overcoming this gap requires adequate awareness among healthcare professionals and potential patients, the extent of which is currently unknown. Therefore, we conducted a survey to assess awareness and identify knowledge gaps regarding the clinical role and socio-economic factors associated with CMR. 144 subjects not involved in direct patient care were enrolled at a German health conference and completed a 24-item survey, including procedural, clinical and socio-economic questions about CMR. Respondents were well aware of the socio-economic impact of CVD. Common CMR indications were correctly identified by most participants, but only 22.9% knew the full spectrum. Participants underestimated the modality’s benefits, such as absence of ionizing radiation and rare allergic reactions to contrast agents (only 70.9% and 37.6% correct answers, respectively). Respondents estimated the therapeutic guidance of CMR to be high (50.7% voted impact >50%) and the annual demand to be increasing (89.9%). Attitudes towards CMR were generally positive, with 77.1% of participants willing to travel >25km and 60.4% willing to pay >125 Euros to have a CMR examination. Despite great interest in CMR, significant knowledge gaps hinder its optimal use in clinical practice. The development and implementation of awareness and education strategies are needed to realize the full clinical potential of CMR.