B.C. radiologists sound alarm over backlogs as province claims wait times are down
As the province's radiologists raise the alarm about extensive backlogs impacting patients, B.C.'s Ministry of Health is claiming that wait times for medical imaging and even surgeries are shorter than before the pandemic started.
The BC Radiological Society couldn’t provide specific data for how long waits are for medical imaging (including MRIs, CT scans, and ultrasounds) because the Ministry of Health does not make that data public. But, the society says, waits to access the scans are growing due to aging machinery and staffing shortages that have worsened during the pandemic and grown more acute during the Omicron wave.
"There's an email chain going around right now with the breast radiologists in the Lower Mainland saying, 'Can you take our patients?’ And everyone is saying, 'No, we've got our own crazy waitlist,’" said Dr. Charlotte Yong-Hing, who serves as president of the society, as well as medical director of breast imaging at the BC Cancer Agency, while treating patients herself.
“We all work as hard as we can, but there are not enough ultrasound technicians, not enough ultrasound machines, not enough breast radiologists – there just isn't enough capacity."
Dr. Simon Bicknell, who specializes in diagnostic and interventional radiology, pointed out that most surgeons won’t see patients until they have imaging in hand, and that impacts patients facing all sorts of medical challenges.
"If it's an acute inflammatory event, an abscess can develop and by the time they get to the hospital, that abscess might be bigger,” he said. “If the problem is a cancer, if you've put off getting that assessed by your primary practitioner or a specialist, that can change a stage by just sitting on it and waiting for months."
Bicknell emphasized that patients needing urgent emergency scans are getting them right away. However, while the national standard is 30 to 60 days’ wait for most scans, he said he knows many British Columbians are now waiting months.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH DISPUTES FRONTLINE PRACTITIONERS
British Columbia’s radiologists are speaking up with province-specific concerns and anecdotes in the wake of their national organization warning that patients Canada-wide need more staff and better equipment to handle a backlog that was concerning before the pandemic, but has worsened considerably since.
That’s why the insistence of B.C.’s Ministry of Health that surgical waits have remained “about the same,” while wait times for MRI exams are “lower” is confounding.
“For MRI exams, not only have health authorities and health-care workers continued to build on the progress that has been made since government launched its Surgical and Diagnostic Imaging strategy, today the wait times for MRI exam are lower than they were before COVID,” wrote a ministry spokesperson.
The spokesperson included two charts showing improvements for the vast majority of surgical waits and MRIs, presented in a format that Bicknell and Yong-Hing found unconventional and baffling. They say the charts’ presentation of wait times is not how waits are typically tracked and the percentile presentation comes without medical indicators.
Notably absent are results for CT and ultrasound scans, which make up a significant proportion of medical imaging in the province. And, the chart does not include priority levels, which the province outlines as having different targets (hours versus weeks).
SHORT- AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES AND REDUCE ANXIETY
Waiting for medical imaging that can tell a patient if they’re a candidate for life-improving back surgery – or whether the tumour causing them discomfort is benign or not – often causes tremendous anxiety; their work and family lives are impacted, in addition to their prognosis.
"That has enormous societal implications," said Bicknell, pointing to loss productivity in addition to quality of life considerations.
“We'd love to run (scans) 24/7, but don't have the workers to do it.”
While it takes years to train technicians and physicians to do the highly technical work, investments in new technology not only increase reliability, but also efficiency. Newer machines require less effort to operate and can provide results more efficiently, often with fewer scans or images required.
In the short-term, Yong-Hing believes the Health Minister could slash wait times with improved compensation for those already on the job.
"It’s a money problem, there's not enough money. If there was money to pay the technologist to provide MR scanning time, to adequately to remunerate the people who are providing the service, I think the capacity would improve,” she said. “Even before COVID, we were overwhelmed, so COVID has just exacerbated the pre-existing situation with unacceptable wait times and outdated equipment."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.