Computerized Tomography: an overutilized resource? Study of the prevalence of non-indicated tomographic studies in an emergency service
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53903/01212095.340Keywords:
Tomografía computarizada multidetector, Prevalencia, Usos terapéuticos, Estudios transversalesAbstract
Introduction: The request for Computerized Tomography (CT) has significantly increased in emergency departments. They have become an overutilized resource, as many performed CT scans do not meet appropriateness criteria. In Colombia, we aren’t exempt from this problem, so it is important to evaluate the current situation to avoid dire consequences in the short and long term. Objectives: To calculate the prevalence of non-indicated computerized tomographic studies as part of the attention given in the emergency department of a fourth level university hospital from Bogotá, Colombia during October 2022 seeking differences between subgroups such as body regions, and requesting services. Methods: We conducted a census of all requested tomographic studies as part of the attention given in emergency services in a fourth level university hospital during October 2022. These were classified among three categories based on their indication. Additionally, they were sorted amongst different body regions and requesting services, so that we could have a subgroup analysis. Results: We registered 1447 CT studies taken in October 2022, from those 80.7 % were indicated and 8.98 % were not indicated. The study with the most prevalence of non-indication was the simple brain CT (70.77 %). On the other hand, the services that requested the most studies without indications were neumology (66.67 %) and otorhinolaryngology (33.3 %). Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of non-indicated studies. Most of the studies requested by the specialties with a higher number of patients in emergency services are indicated. The most requested nonindicated study can have severe consequences for patients if the diagnosis isn’t clear. It’s important to further study the possible causes behind this problem so that we can come up with solutions.
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