An analysis of the status of diagnostic radiology equipment in China

Objective

To analyze the current situation of diagnostic radiology equipment in Chinese mainland and to understand changes in the past 20 years, including gaps with other countries, in order to provide a scientific basis for the government to formulate relevant policies and regulations, and supplement Chinese data for international organizations.

Methods

This survey adopted a uniformly designed questionnaire, which was completed by the investigators or the respondents. The survey was distributed to all medical institutions that provided diagnostic radiology services in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and military, China.

Results

The survey showed that in the past 20 years, the number of medical institutions and diagnostic radiology equipment per million population in China has increased substantially. Dental radiology equipment increased nine-fold, and mammography equipment and computed tomography scanners showed a nearly five-fold increase. The four types of diagnostic radiology equipment, general diagnostic, fluoroscopic, mammography, and computed tomography, were associated with the population. Dental radiology equipment and bone mineral densitometers were related only to the gross domestic product (GDP). A large gap remains in the diagnostic radiology equipment per million population between China and the equipment of health-care level (HCL) I countries.

Conclusions

An imbalance in the number of units of diagnostic radiology equipment per million population was observed in the different regions, China. Various types of diagnostic radiology equipment, especially mammography equipment and computed tomography scanners, need to be deployed to meet the medical needs of different populations.