During the COVID-19 pandemic, priority for imaging tests, such as x-ray, ultrasound, and scans such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), was often given to assess patients with COVID-19. As a consequence, many routine imaging tests for other diseases, such as heart and circulatory disease were cancelled or postponed. The impact on patient outcomes of these tests being delayed is currently unknown, including heart attack, death and medication use.
The Diagnostic Imaging Dataset (DID), which is data routinely collected by the NHS, contains information on the use of imaging tests in England. We will use this dataset to look at changes in the way we used imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will use linked healthcare information to find out how these changes impacted patients including whether there were any increases or decreases in diagnoses for condition such as heart and circulatory disease and changes in the use of different medications. Additionally, we will look at how these changes impacted patient outcomes such as heart attacks or death. We will also look at the impact of health inequalities, regional variations, and timelines/delays to imaging test use.
This study will help us to understand how the use of imaging tests changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact this had on patients. This will include the impact on heart attack, death, medication use, and other important outcomes. We will also look at the impact of health inequalities on these findings. The findings will help us to understand how much disease may be untreated at present and help us make plans to address this issue.