Patient preparation for intravenous urography: are we practising evidence-based medicine?
S Singh1, N Reddicliffe, D A Parker
1Department of Radiology, Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Cardiff, UK. devsingh74@hotmail.com
Aim:
To identify the current practice of patient preparation prior to intravenous urography (IVU) in England and Wales.
Methods:
Seventy-two hospitals were contacted to request details regarding the duration of fluid restriction, adherence to a low-residue diet, or use of laxatives for patient preparation before IVU examinations.
Results:
Results showed that out of 45 hospitals that still use IVU, only six (13.3%) did not follow a patient-preparation regime. The vast majority of the hospitals contacted (87.6%), implemented either fluid and/or food restriction, or prescribed laxatives. The duration of fluid and food restriction varied from 2-12 h duration, and some departments advocated 48 h of laxatives.
Conclusion:
A large proportion of hospitals are not practising evidence-based medicine in relation to IVU, and we suggest that the practice of patient preparation should be abandoned.
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