Reston, VA (April 28, 2011) — A summary of the National Council on Radiation Protection's (NCRPs) workshop on the appropriate use of computed tomography (CT) in emergency medicine, and a list of recommendations from participating organizations to help control the inappropriate use of CT in the emergency department, is now available via the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology .
As a generalization, the benefit-risk estimates for CT scanning favor its use over most other imaging procedures and many other types of diagnostic technology. However, concerns have risen regarding the increase in clinical use of CT scans.
"Concerns regarding the clinical use of CT scans prompted the NCRP to host a workshop — with sponsorship from the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and other private and government organizations — to define the circumstances and programs for assessing the value of CT scanning while addressing the issues of utilization patterns, radiation exposures and overutilization," said Otha Linton, lead author of the summary. Co-authors include Thomas S. Tenforde, PhD, E. Stephen Amis, MD, and Paul Sierzenski, MD.
The workshop presentations and summary form a basis for the preparation of a report that will provide recommendations on a potential path forward to modulate CT use in emergency medicine, trauma and acute health care.
Participating organizations, including the ACR and ACEP, offered the following recommendations:
The May issue of JACR is an important resource for radiology and nuclear medicine professionals as well as students seeking clinical and educational improvement.
For more information about JACR, please visit www.jacr.org .
To receive an electronic copy of an article appearing in JACR or to set up an interview with a JACR author or another ACR member, please contact Heather Curry at 703-390-9822 or PR@acr.org .
Journal of the American College of Radiology