Issue The Power of Radio

Summary

The Power of Radio asks what would happen if radiology became personalised. Advances in imaging, genomics and machine intelligence would enable personalised radiology that improves diagnosis, treatment and public health policy for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Chronic diseases may cause 86% of deaths each year by 2050, while there is a global shortage of radiologists and widespread burnout among medical staff. In the US, demand for radiologists has grown 30% since 2017, in the UK demand rises 5% a year against 3% workforce growth, and radiologists are often expected to read an image every three to four seconds across an eight-hour shift. AI is expected to cut workload to 53%, reduce reporting time by 63% and improve accuracy, but risks include privacy concerns, overlooked anomalies from over-reliance and benefits limited to wealthier nations.