A comprehensive new survey of National Health Service (NHS) radiology departments across the U.K. shows that half of the facilities have no plans to replace aging MRI scanners and more than one-third of them are not scheduled for a replacement.
The findings come from the Clinical Imaging Board (CIB), which also noted that 58% of the 171 MRI systems in the report are at least 5 years old. At that age, the scanners may not have state-of-the-art imaging to conduct certain types exams to detect heart and prostate cancer. In addition, approximately 29% of the scanners are more than 10 years old and 8% were deemed "obsolete."
On average, departments expect to see demand for MRI services increase by 13% this year. Along with upgrades to and replacement of older MRI systems, the radiology departments surveyed said they will need approximately 50 brand new scanners to meet the escalating demand.
The CIB is a collaboration between the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR), and the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM).
