From Medscape:
When an ill or injured child arrives at an emergency department, clinicians face a balancing act when considering how advanced imaging can assist with a diagnosis, particularly if their facility does not have a focus on pediatric care.
Should a clinician order a CT scan, which may raise concerns regarding radiation dosing? For which conditions are ultrasounds or MRIs better? And is any imaging necessary if the child will be transferred soon to a pediatric hospital?
To assist with the decision-making process and to weigh risks like radiation exposure and incidental findings , the American Academy Of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American College Of Radiology issued a joint policy statement and technical report published online on June 27 in Pediatrics, as well as in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.The organizations present several considerations for clinicians, including weighing potential false-positive results, downstream testing, and the resulting unnecessary, prolonged stays in the emergency department. The guidance is based on evidence-based examples from children's hospitals around the country.
"More imaging doesn't necessarily mean better care," said lead author Jennifer R. Marin, MD, MSc, a member of the AAP Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine and a professor of pediatrics, emergency medicine, and radiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh.
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