The effect of introducing guidelines for cervical spine radiographs in the accident and emergency department
| Autor: | I Beggs, S Maurice, C Robertson, S Brown |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1996 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry Radiography Accident and emergency Retrospective cohort study General Medicine Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine Cervical spine medicine.anatomical_structure Spinal Injuries Practice Guidelines as Topic Cervical Vertebrae Emergency Medicine medicine Humans Lateral view Radiology Emergency Service Hospital business Cervical spine x rays Retrospective Studies Research Article Cervical vertebrae |
| Zdroj: | Emergency Medicine Journal. 13:38-40 |
| ISSN: | 1472-0213 1472-0205 |
| DOI: | 10.1136/emj.13.1.38 |
| Popis: | OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of guidelines for x ray requests on requests for cervical spine x rays. SETTING: Accident and emergency (A&E) department of tertiary referral centre. METHODS: Guidelines for all x ray requests were introduced in the (A&E) department of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in February 1992. The effect of the guidelines on requests for cervical spine x rays was assessed by retrospective review of all such x rays taken over two 30 d periods, before and after the introduction of the guidelines. Junior staff had been in post for 3 months during both periods assessed. Films were reviewed for quality by a consultant radiologist. RESULTS: Guidelines reduced the number of inappropriate requests significantly; however, 26% of requests were still unnecessary. The standard of radiography improved but 49% of x rays remained inadequate, usually because the C7/T1 level was not demonstrated on the lateral view. The A&E doctors correctly interpretated the radiographs in 95% of examinations. CONCLUSIONS: Guidelines reduce inappropriate x ray requests. Further improvements can be expected with continued education. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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