Work-style reform and use of information and communication technology among diagnostic radiologists in Japan: results of the 2018 JRS/JCR joint survey

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate recent trends in work-style reform and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) among board-certified diagnostic radiologists in Japan. Materials and methods We conducted online questionnaire surveys of board-certified radiologists of the Japan Radiological Society (JRS) and registered training institutions. Completed surveys were obtained from 1192 radiologists and 275 training institutions (response rates of 25.5% and 38.1%, respectively). Respondents were assured of confidentiality. Results 13.5% (134/991) of full-time radiologists and 56.7% (89/157) of part-time radiologists had shifted some of their work to teleradiology at home. In addition, 52.9% (83/157) of part-time radiologists and 27.3% (12/44) of board-certified individuals who had stopped working as radiologists responded that they would consider starting full-time work in hospitals, if teleradiology at home was permitted as part of full-time work. Furthermore, 16.7% of training institutions (46/275) had introduced teleradiology systems for radiologists, and 47.2% (108/229) of the remaining training institutions wanted to introduce teleradiology systems in the future. Conclusion Teleradiology using ICT is already a part of Japanese radiologists’ workload. Work-style reform may progress with the use of ICT, such as part-time radiologists, and board-certified individuals who stop working as radiologists, becoming full-time radiologists.