Who's overworked and who's underworked among radiologists? An update on the radiologist shortage

To use weighted data and information on hours worked to investigate further the market for radiology services by analyzing the extent to which radiologists wanted less or more work in 2003.

Weighted data were used from the American College of Radiology's 2003 Survey of Radiologists. A statement on the survey cover sheet indicated that responses would not be individually identified, and responses were processed by an outside contractor for enhanced assurance of confidentiality. The authors analyzed workloads and the desired workload changes for radiologists who wanted less work, those who wanted more work, and those who sought no change in their workload. Multivariate regression analysis was also used to identify the probable causal links between characteristics of radiologists and the practices they work in and their desire for a workload change.

The net average workload change sought was approximately 0.1% of the current workload and was not significantly different from zero, indicating that the overall total workload is what is desired. However, radiologists working in academic or government practices sought 4% and 12% more work, respectively, while those in private practices sought 2% less. In addition, radiologists working in nonmetropolitan practices sought 3% less work than those in large metropolitan areas.

There was an overall balance between the demand and the supply of radiologists in 2003. The authors found some imbalances, including surpluses in academic and government-owned practices, a shortage of radiologists in private radiology groups, and a shortage in nonmetropolitan areas. There were differences in radiologists' desired workload by sex, age, and type and location of practice.