Conference abstract
Health services utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of a regional medical imaging center in the South-West Region of Cameroon
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2023:18(143).03
Oct 2023.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2023.18.143.2253
Archived on: 03 Oct 2023
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Health service utilization, COVID-19, radiology
Oral presentation
Health services utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of a regional medical imaging center in the South-West Region of Cameroon
Joshua Tambe1,&, Pierre Ongolo-Zogo2
1University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon, 2The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
&Corresponding author
Introduction:medical imaging is an important clinical service at the crossroads of hospital care. Its utilization is essential for diagnosis, treatment, and the follow-up of treatment. However, several factors can affect the utilization (realized access) of the different imaging modalities, and the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be an important determinant. The objective was to assess the utilization of the radiology department in an intermediate-level referral facility in Cameroon during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: we narratively report on the trends of activities at a referral regional Medical Imaging Center during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2020 to April 2022
Results: the Medical Imaging Center at Limbe Regional Hospital is endowed with state-of-the-art equipment. Following the diagnosis of the first-ever case of COVID-19 disease in the southwest region at Limbe Regional Hospital in April 2020, activities at the radiology department witnessed a sharp decline in the number of patients received for all the modalities. CT however quickly rose to pre-pandemic levels as many studies were performed as a diagnostic adjunct for COVID-19 disease. Activities for the remainder of the imaging modalities continued to fluctuate below pre-pandemic levels and gradually rose to pre-pandemic levels by April 2022.
Conclusion: the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in the utilization of medical imaging services safe for CT, which became a diagnostic adjunct at the peak of the pandemic. Many factors could explain the observed trends, but it is expected that there should be continuity in the utilization of needed health services irrespective of imposed burdens on the health system such as epidemics and pandemics.
Health services utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of a regional medical imaging center in the South-West Region of Cameroon
Joshua Tambe1,&, Pierre Ongolo-Zogo2
1University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon, 2The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
&Corresponding author
Introduction:medical imaging is an important clinical service at the crossroads of hospital care. Its utilization is essential for diagnosis, treatment, and the follow-up of treatment. However, several factors can affect the utilization (realized access) of the different imaging modalities, and the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be an important determinant. The objective was to assess the utilization of the radiology department in an intermediate-level referral facility in Cameroon during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: we narratively report on the trends of activities at a referral regional Medical Imaging Center during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic from April 2020 to April 2022
Results: the Medical Imaging Center at Limbe Regional Hospital is endowed with state-of-the-art equipment. Following the diagnosis of the first-ever case of COVID-19 disease in the southwest region at Limbe Regional Hospital in April 2020, activities at the radiology department witnessed a sharp decline in the number of patients received for all the modalities. CT however quickly rose to pre-pandemic levels as many studies were performed as a diagnostic adjunct for COVID-19 disease. Activities for the remainder of the imaging modalities continued to fluctuate below pre-pandemic levels and gradually rose to pre-pandemic levels by April 2022.
Conclusion: the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in the utilization of medical imaging services safe for CT, which became a diagnostic adjunct at the peak of the pandemic. Many factors could explain the observed trends, but it is expected that there should be continuity in the utilization of needed health services irrespective of imposed burdens on the health system such as epidemics and pandemics.
