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A cost analysis of radiologic imaging in pediatric trauma patients
Ahmet Güzel1, Osman Temziöz, Burhan Aksu
1Department of Pediatrics, Trakya University, Faculty of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey. ahmetgzl@yahoo.com
Insights
The cost of pediatric radiologic imaging in trauma cases averaged $40.42, with most images showing normal results. Education programs are needed to reduce unnecessary imaging costs in emergency departments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Radiology
- Health Economics
Background:
- Pediatric trauma patients admitted to emergency departments undergo radiologic imaging.
- The cost-effectiveness of these imaging procedures is a significant consideration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the financial costs associated with radiologic imaging in pediatric trauma cases.
- To identify factors influencing imaging costs and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1231 pediatric trauma patients (1 month to 15 years).
- Evaluation of patient demographics, injury details, radiological investigations, costs, length of stay, and outcomes.
- Correlation analysis between imaging costs and clinical severity scores (GCS, ISS, PTS).
Main Results:
- The mean total cost of radiologic imaging was $40.42 (SD $34.38) for 996 patients.
- Only 8.8% of the 3382 images taken revealed abnormalities.
- Imaging costs correlated inversely with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and directly with Injury Severity Score (ISS).
Conclusions:
- While advanced imaging aids early diagnosis in pediatric trauma, unnecessary procedures increase costs.
- Implementing educational programs for healthcare providers can help reduce the frequency of non-essential radiologic imaging in emergency settings.
Background:
The aim of this study was to examine the cost of radiologic imaging in pediatric trauma patients admitted to the pediatric emergency department.
Methods:
All patients were retrospectively evaluated according to age, gender, details of injury, radiological investigations ordered and their results, cost of radiologic imaging, length of stay, outcome of the injury, and hospitalization rates.
Results:
The cost of radiologic imaging was retrospectively analyzed in 1231 trauma patients aged between one month and 15 years (mean 5.91 +/- 3.82 years). For the 996 patients who had radiological imaging, 3382 images were taken in total. Of these, only 300 (8.8%) were abnormal. The mean (and SD) total cost of radiologic imaging was US$ 40.42 ($34.38) (range $4.67 to $139.26). Total cost correlated inversely with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (r = -0.37, p < 0.001), directly with Injury Severity Score (ISS) (r = -0.27, p < 0.001) and was not correlated with the Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS) (r = -0.16, p > 0.05). The mean (and SD) duration of hospital stays was 8.54 (10.91) hours.
Conclusion:
Advanced radiological images may help in early diagnosis of trauma cases. However, periodic education programs to prevent unnecessary radiological imaging in emergency departments are also necessary to decrease the cost of these imaging modalities.
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