Author(s)

Yannick Onana^1,2*, Joshua Tambe³, Mohamadou Aminou², Samuel Mbozo’o Mvondo², Francis Ateba Ndongo², Jean Claude Mballa Amougou⁴, Jeremie Mbo Amvene², Mathurin Neossi Guena⁵, Harvey Onana⁶, Boniface Moifo⁶, Emile Telesphore Mboudou^1,4,6

¹Douala Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
²Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of Garoua, University of Ngaoundere, Garoua, Cameroon.
³Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
⁴Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
⁵Faculty of Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
⁶Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive influx of patients with suspected or confirmed flu to hospitals, paradoxically leading to a decrease in the attendance for some services. This study aspired to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the attendance of patients at the Radiology and Medical Imaging Department of a tertiary hospital in Douala, Cameroon. Materials and Methods: This was an observational, retrospective and descriptive hospital-based study. Data on patient attendance was extracted from the medical records at the Radiology Unit of Douala Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (DGOPH) between the 1^st of March 2019 and the 30^th of August 2021. Results: There was a drop in the number of sonographies and conventional radiographies by 25.73% and 18.26% respectively during the peaks pandemic period of 2020 compared to the preceding pre-pandemic era (2019). There was a recovery in 2021 as the numbers increased. Computed tomography studies increased by 40.65% during the peak pandemic period of 2020. Conclusion: This study enables us to understand the health-seeking behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in CT utilization during the peak period of the pandemic nevertheless required caution in order to ensure safety and to promote rational cost-effective utilization.

COVID-19, Impact, Imaging Trends, Radiology Department, Douala

Onana, Y. , Tambe, J. , Aminou, M. , Mvondo, S. , Ndongo, F. , Amougou, J. , Amvene, J. , Guena, M. , Onana, H. , Moifo, B. and Mboudou, E. (2022) Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patient Attendance and Trends in the Use of Medical Imaging Modalities in a Referral Hospital in the City of Douala, Cameroon. Open Journal of Medical Imaging, 12, 16-24. doi: 10.4236/ojmi.2022.121003.