Demand for CT scans increases during transition from paediatric to adult care: an observational study from 2009 to 2015

Thurley, Peter; Crookdake, Jonathan; Norwood, Mark; Sturrock, Nigel; Fogarty, Andrew W.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure is a clinical priority in children and young adults. We aimed to explore demand for CT scans in a busy general hospital with particular interest in the period of transition from paediatric to adult medical care.
METHODS: We used an observational epidemiological study based in a teaching hospital. Data were obtained on numbers and rates of CT scans from 2009 to 2015. The main outcome was age-stratified rates of receiving a CT scan.
RESULTS: There were a total of 262,221 CT scans. There was a large step change in the rate of CT scans over the period of transition from paediatric to adult medical care. Individuals aged 10-15 years experienced 6.7 CT scans per 1000 clinical episodes, while those aged 19-24 years experienced 19.8 CT scans per 1000 clinical episodes (p

Citation

Thurley, P., Crookdake, J., Norwood, M., Sturrock, N., & Fogarty, A. W. (in press). Demand for CT scans increases during transition from paediatric to adult care: an observational study from 2009 to 2015. British Journal of Radiology, https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20170467

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 13, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Nov 16, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 17, 2018
• Journal: British Journal of Radiology
• Print ISSN: 0007-1285
• Electronic ISSN: 0007-1285
• Publisher: British Institute of Radiology
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr.20170467
• Keywords: CT scan, adolescence, age, demand, radiation
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/895324
• Publisher URL: http://www.birpublications.org/doi/10.1259/bjr.20170467