User profile, indications and relevance of MRI in public and private health facilities in Cameroon

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the relevance of MRI indications in the cities of Yaounde and Douala and identify the factors associated with its accessibility and appropriate use. Materials and MethodsWe conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study with prospective data collection. We included all patients who underwent MRI during the study period with their informed consent. The main variables studied were sociodemographic variables (age, sex, occupation, health insurance), MRI-related variables (relevance of the examination, part of the body examined, indication for the examination, quality of the person requesting the examination) and clinical variables (patients comorbidities). Logistic regression with bivariate and multivariate analyses was used to determine the factors associated with the appropriate use of MRI, using SPSS version 26 software. The statistical significance level was set at 0.05. ResultsOur population consisted of 337 individuals, 174 of whom were women (51.6%). The median age of the study population was 48 years, with a minimum of 01 years and a maximum of 87 years. Patients aged [≥] 60 years were the most represented (27.9%). Participants were covered by some form of insurance in 20.5% of cases. The main prescribers were medical specialists (78.9%). Cerebral MRI was the most frequently performed procedure (39.5%). The test was considered relevant in 78.3% of cases and was mostly indicated as a first-line treatment (56.1%). After multivariate analysis, only the search for vascular pathologies was associated with the relevance of MRI as an imaging test. ConclusionThe use of magnetic resonance imaging in our context is relevant in the majority of cases, and its use in the search for vascular pathology plays an important role in the relevance of this examination. In the light of these results, it would seem important to improve the affordability of MRI throughout the country, to increase the relevance of MRI indications and to optimize the training of medical staff in the justification of imaging examinations in general and MRI in particular.