{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T00:15:32Z","timestamp":1783556132294,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]],"date-time":"2026-01-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769817600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]],"date-time":"2026-01-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769817600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Can Assoc Radiol J"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"\n Introduction:<\/jats:title>\n \n The carbon footprint of imaging equipment in radiology is high, but the impact of patient travel for imaging is unclear. This study aimed to quantify distances traveled by ambulatory patients for outpatient MRI, determine the proportion traveling beyond their nearest MRI facility, and estimate the associated excess carbon dioxide equivalent (CO\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n e) emissions.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods:<\/jats:title>\n \n With research ethics board approval, we retrospectively analyzed provincial MRI data from 2023. Distances from patient home address to the nearest and attended MRI facilities were calculated. CO\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n e estimates were derived using an online tool (\n www.carbonfootprint.com\/calculator.aspx<\/jats:ext-link>\n ) with average vehicle size and emissions.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results:<\/jats:title>\n \n In 2023, 40\u2009062 provincial MRI scans were performed; isolating single visits for adult patients yielded 27\u2009755 data points. Of these, 19.5% (n\u2009=\u20095400) traveled beyond their nearest MRI facility. Mean round-trip travel was 60.4\u2009km for those attending their nearest site versus 295.6\u2009km for those traveling further (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<\u2009.0001). The excess travel produced ~288 metric tons of additional CO\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n e, equivalent to emissions from 61 large-size gasoline-powered cars driven for 1\u2009year or carbon sequestered by 4762 tree seedlings grown for 10\u2009years.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n Nearly one-fifth of patients traveled farther than necessary for MRI, generating substantial avoidable emissions. Aligning MRI service distribution with population density could lessen the environmental impact of medical imaging.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/08465371261416324","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]],"date-time":"2026-01-31T14:42:26Z","timestamp":1769870546000},"page":"456-462","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The Carbon Footprint of MRI Access: A Population-Based Study Evaluating Excess Patient Travel and CO\n 2<\/sub>\n Emissions in Nova Scotia"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"77","author":[{"given":"Jessica","family":"Thompson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joseph","family":"Silburt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephanie","family":"Schofield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1683-8230","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreu F.","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5871-4530","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Rivers-Bowerman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1148\/radiol.230229"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/08465371241260013"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12010215"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","unstructured":"Canadian Healthcare Technology. MRI wait times in Nova Scotia lag national average. Updated September 13 2023. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/www.canhealth.com\/2023\/09\/13\/mri-wait-times-in-nova-scotia-lag-national-average\/"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41747-024-00424-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.2513"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.51731\/cjht..24"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","unstructured":"Canadian Institute for Health Information. Longer wait times for surgeries and diagnostic imaging persist across Canada compared with the pre-pandemic period. June 12 2025. Accessed October 17 2025. https:\/\/www.cihi.ca\/en\/news\/longer-wait-times-for-surgeries-and-diagnostic-imaging-persist-across-canada-compared-with-the-pre"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","unstructured":"Barua B Moir M. Waiting your turn: wait times for health care in Canada 2019 report. Fraser Institute. December 11 2019. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/www.fraserinstitute.org\/studies\/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2019"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","unstructured":"Statistics Canada. Table 17-10-0157-01 Population estimates July 1 by health region and peer group 2023 boundaries. 2025. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/www150.statcan.gc.ca\/t1\/tbl1\/en\/tv.action?pid=1710015701"},{"key":"#cr-split#-e_1_3_2_12_2.1","unstructured":"Statistics Canada. Nova Scotia health regions 2015. Health regions: boundaries and correspondence with census geography (82-402-X). Produced by the Statistical Registers and Geography Division for the Health Statistics Division"},{"key":"#cr-split#-e_1_3_2_12_2.2","unstructured":"2015. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/www150.statcan.gc.ca\/n1\/pub\/82-402-x\/2015002\/maps-cartes\/rm-cr03-eng.htm"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","unstructured":"Carbon Footprint. Car carbon footprint calculator. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/www.carbonfootprint.com\/calculator.aspx"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","unstructured":"Nova Scotia Department of Finance - Economics and Statistics. Vehicle registrations 2023. Updated October 22 2024. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/novascotia.ca\/finance\/statistics\/"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","unstructured":"Canada Energy Regulator. Provincial and territorial energy profiles \u2013 Nova Scotia. Updated September 10 2024. Accessed August 26 2025. https:\/\/www.cer-rec.gc.ca\/en\/data-analysis\/energy-markets\/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles\/provincial-territorial-energy-profiles-nova-scotia.html"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","unstructured":"United States Environmental Protection Agency. Greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator. Updated November 2024. Accessed September 11 2025. https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/energy\/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator#results"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_17_2","first-page":"5113","article-title":"Patient transportation in Canada\u2019s northern territories: patterns, costs and providers\u2019 perspectives","volume":"19","author":"Young TK","year":"2019","unstructured":"Young TK, Tabish T, Young SK, Healey G. Patient transportation in Canada\u2019s northern territories: patterns, costs and providers\u2019 perspectives. Rural Remote Health. 2019;19:5113.","journal-title":"Rural Remote Health"}],"container-title":["Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/08465371261416324","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/08465371261416324","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/08465371261416324","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T23:23:16Z","timestamp":1783552996000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/08465371261416324"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/08465371261416324"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/08465371261416324","relation":{},"ISSN":["0846-5371","1488-2361"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0846-5371","type":"print"},{"value":"1488-2361","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]]}}}