Selecting children for head CT following head injury
- Kemp, A
- Nickerson, E
- Trefan, L
- Houston, R
- Hyde, P
- Pearson, G
- Edwards, R
- Parslow, RC
- Maconochie, I
DOIAbstract
Objective: Indicators for head CT scan defined by the 2007 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines were analysed to identify CT uptake, influential variables and yield. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Hospital inpatient units: England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. Patients: Children (3 years were much more likely to have CT than those <3 years (OR 2.35 (95% CI 2.08 to 2.65)). Conclusion: Compliance with guidelines and diagnostic yield was variable across age groups, the type of hospital and region where children were admitted. With this pattern of clinical practice the risks of both missing intracranial injury and overuse of CT are considerable
Add to ORKG