Evaluating the Outcome of an Unnecessary Request for CT Scan in Be'sat Hospital of Hamadan

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Unnecessary medical imaging tests contribute to increased healthcare costs and patient radiation exposure.
• Establishing appropriate utilization guidelines for diagnostic imaging is essential for efficient healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of inappropriate computed tomography (CT) scan and radiography test requests at Be'sat Hospital in Hamadan.
• To identify patterns in unnecessary imaging based on patient demographics, test type, and requesting physician specialty.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study was conducted over a 4- to 6-month period.
• Data from 1000 CT scans were analyzed, including patient demographics, test type, reason for request, and radiologist's findings.
• Information was extracted from patient records at the Be'sat Hospital imaging department.

Main Results:

• Over 74% of all imaging reports were deemed unnecessary.
• Unnecessary CT scans were most frequent for brain imaging (42.3%) and least for facial bones (2.3%).
• The primary reasons for unnecessary CT scans included multiple physical trauma (30.7%) and chronic kidney disease (1.5%).

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of CT scans and radiography tests performed were unnecessary.
• Reducing unnecessary imaging is vital to minimize patient radiation dose.
• There is a need to improve physician education on appropriate CT scan test evaluation aligned with clinical guidelines.