Isabela Bispo Santos da Silva Costa et al. Jorge Andion Torreão Juliano de Lara Fernandes Henrique Trad … Gabriela Liberato Roberto Sasdelli Neto Silvio Henrique Barberato Ibraim Masciarelli Pinto Tiago Senra
Abstract
Background:
Non-invasive imaging for cardiovascular disease diagnosis has grown in volume and relevance in recent years, and it is important for early detection of cardiovascular diseases. There is a lack of data from Brazil on the availability of methods such as computed tomography (CT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).
Objective:
This study assessed the regional distribution of professional practice and the exams performed, correlating these factors with population data and the number of active professionals.
Methods:
A nationwide survey was conducted by means of an online questionnaire applied to professionals who perform CT and CMR, compared with demographic data and the number of scans performed within Brazilian public and private healthcare systems.
Results:
A total of 219 professionals filled out the questionnaire, 139 (63.8%) male, 161 (73.9%) cardiologists, and 46 (21.1%) radiologists. Regarding regional distribution, the Southeast had 125 professionals (57.3%), the Northeast 35 (16.1%), the South 30 (13.8%), the Central-West 22 (10.1%), and the North 6 (2.8%). The profile of these professionals in Brazilian regions was similar, with no statistical differences observed regarding the proportion of men (p = 0.2451), cardiologists (p = 0.1325), radiologists (p = 0.4564), or training time > 2 years (p = 0.8519). The Southeast had the highest absolute number of exams, and the North had the lowest.
Conclusion:
The data revealed structural disparities in access to cardiovascular imaging throughout Brazil, in terms of both number of professionals and number of exams performed. The regional discrepancies observed in this study reflect distinct demographic and economic circumstances in Brazilian regions.