New data highlight 'critical' need to raise awareness about interventional radiology offerings
Interventional radiology utilization has seen significant growth in recent years, but new data suggest that awareness of the specialty is still relatively limited outside the United States.
In the U.S., interventional radiology has been recognized as a primary medical specialty for more than a decade. Providers and patients alike are drawn to IR procedures due to their less invasive and cost-effective nature, but the specialty is still widely underutilized globally. New research published in Clinical Imaging indicates that a general lack of provider knowledge pertaining to the specialty’s offerings could be to blame.
“The limited recognition stems from several interrelated factors affecting both healthcare providers and patients,” Ali Dablan, with the Department of Radiology at Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital in Istanbul, and colleagues explained. “Within the healthcare system, traditional referral patterns and hierarchical structures often favor established surgical specialties over IR interventions. This knowledge deficit among referring physicians directly impacts patient access to minimally invasive treatment options.”
Experts analyzed 20 years' worth of Google trends to determine how consumer interest in IR has changed over time in five different countries—the U.S., Turkey, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Relative Search Volume (RSV) trends and growth rates were calculated for common IR terms and common IR procedures.
Awareness of IR was most prominent in the U.S., reflecting an RSV score of 88, while Turkey showed the greatest growth in knowledge of the specialty. The European countries all showed moderate but steady growth throughout the time studied.
Turkish searches for procedural terms, particularly ablation and thrombectomy, saw significant spikes after 2014. However, these searches yielded limited results, as Turkish websites housing IR educational materials were found to be low-quality and lacking in vital procedural information, which could inhibit the specialty's growth, the authors suggested.
Still, the differing levels of awareness are multifactorial.
“Current barriers to IR awareness and access extend beyond educational challenges. Language barriers in accessing educational resources, cultural factors affecting medical decision-making, and varying insurance reimbursement policies all contribute to regional disparities in IR awareness and utilization,” the authors noted.
Greater IR awareness in the U.S. is likely owed to it being recognized as a primary medical specialty and efforts to boost exposure to its offerings while students are in medical school. The U.S. also offers IR fellowships, whereas the other countries included in the analysis are lacking in such structured, post-residency pathways.
These regional disparities could be addressed by standardizing IR education across medical schools, creating multilingual and accessible patient materials that are written at an appropriate reading level, and implementing structured training globally. Public outreach to raise awareness also could help address knowledge and accessibility gaps.
“European countries' slower growth in IR awareness reflects the need for more structured training programs, unified professional standards, and coordinated public education efforts,” the group wrote. “Understanding these underlying factors is crucial for developing effective strategies to enhance IR awareness and ensure equitable access to these beneficial procedures.”
Learn more about the findings here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.