SIR 2025

General IR

Quality

Session: 2nd Annual Quality Improvement Forum: Improving Outcomes, Safety and Efficiency in IR

Analyzing Resource Allocation Practices across U.S. Interventional Radiology Departments

Monday, March 31, 2025

9:55 AM – 10:04 AM CT

Location: Innovation Theatre

Presenter(s)

Edwin Pagan, MD (he/him/his)

Resident Physician
Cooper University Hospital, United States

Author/Co-author(s)

SA

Sabina Amin, MD

Radiology Residency Program Director
Cooper University Hospital, United States
SP

Sum Chi Lydia Poon, BS

Medical Student
Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, United States

Learning Objectives:

To understand the differences in resource distribution across U.S. interventional radiology (IR) departments and identify trends.

To analyze how resources are allocated relative to patient volume and departmental needs.

To illustrate the importance of using empirical data to guide resource allocation decisions in healthcare settings.

Background: Resource allocation plays a critical role in clinical outcomes and departmental efficiency, and the field of IR requires a dynamic and well-coordinated use of resources to manage routine and complex procedures. Currently, research pertaining to IR departmental resource allocation is in its infancy. The proposed presentation is intended to highlight disparities in resource distribution and facilitating future research to improve overall efficiency and patient care outcomes in IR.

Clinical Findings/Procedure Details: IR departments with accredited training programs were identified using the SIR website (sirweb.org). Via SIR Connect, an online survey was disseminated regarding each department's resources. The survey was designed to capture a wide range of information, including facility designation, patient population, available IR space, and faculty present. Data was collected from 21 IR departments. Hospital sizes ranged from 250 to 1000 beds (IQR 600-767), and the number of IR suites varied similarly with departments operating between 1 and 12 suites (IQR 2-4), indicating differences in procedural capacity. Most departments had limited access to IR ultrasound space (IQR 0-2) and CT scanners (IQR 0.75-1). Faculty availability varied from 1 to 12 per day (IQR 2-4), while caseloads ranged from 4 to 70 procedures daily (IQR 20-35).

Conclusion and/or Teaching Points: The data revealed significant variation in resources available across institutions and underlined a need for comprehensive analysis of resource allocation strategies to promote efficacy. These findings support the need for a centralized database to enhance understanding of optimal resource deployment and thereby better-informed decision making at both departmental and policy-making levels.