Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory 2022–2023: MRI

Key Messages

• MRI is a noninvasive imaging modality that uses powerful electromagnetic and radiofrequency fields to produce cross-sectional images of the body.
• MRI is primarily used for neurologic exams (28%), followed by musculoskeletal (23%) and oncology exams (17%).
• In total, 432 MRI units in 11 jurisdictions were identified by the Canadian Medical Imaging Inventory (CMII) in its 2022 to 2023 national survey. Most sites are publicly funded hospitals located in urban centres.
• Canada has an average of 10.8 MRI units per million people. The greatest density of units per million people is in Yukon, Quebec, and New Brunswick.
• Overall, 2,214,157 publicly funded MRI examinations were performed in the 2022–2023 fiscal year. This represents a national average of 55.6 exams per 1,000 people, an increase of 4.3% since 2019–
• Canada is positioned in the bottom 25% of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in units per million population and the bottom 50% of OECD countries for average volume of publicly funded MRI exams per 1,000 population.
• The average age of MRI equipment in Canada is 8.4 years; 62.8% of MRI units are 10 years old or newer, 23.3% are 11 to 15 years old, and 13.9% are more than 15 years old.
• On average, MRI units operate 15.3 hours per day and 97.4 hours per week. Overall, 76.0% of sites reported MRI operation on weekends and 17% of sites reported operating 24 hours a day.