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A nurse reflects on the overuse of medical radiation – CT scans

Before demanding a CT scan, doctors need to seriously consider the impact and repercussions of radiation exposure to the benefit of a possible diagnosis from the scan.

Are CT Scans Worth the Risk?, ADVANCE Perspective: Nurses , By Jamie L. Lantz, RN, grad student from the University of Pennsylvania, 11 Jan 2011, After working for the past four years in various emergency rooms as a registered nurse, I have noticed an increase in the number of CT scans being ordered, performed, and even repeated. The current populations being evaluated in the emergency room has access to more resources, i.e., the Internet, to find information regarding diagnosis and treatment of diseases/illnesses. This in turn has increased CT scan requests and distrust for the hands-on physical exam.
n my experience, the numbers of CT scans performed rarely have a result of a definitive diagnosis, therefore disappointing the patients. I have even seen the same patient in the ER a day or two later from their initial visit receiving another CT scan.

The fear of lawsuit by physicians has also had an effect on the increased number of CT scans being ordered. Limiting CT scans to medically necessary situations, educating the public and physicians on the significant health risks with radiation exposure and even decreasing the dose of radiation used, especially in children, can decrease the risk of cancer.

There has been a significant increase in the use of CT scans as described by Drs. Brenner and Hall from about 3 million scans in 1980 to well over 60 million recorded in 2005.

While utilizing CT scans can lead to the diagnoses of what could possibly be overlooked symptoms, the overuse not only leads to unnecessary radiation exposure, but also the cost analysis shows a rise in fees per patient as well as hospital budgets.

Substituting a CT scan for what should be a thorough physical examination has become commonplace in the medical field when a physical examination would be sufficient to diagnose and treat a presenting illness……..Before demanding a CT scan, doctors need to seriously consider the impact and repercussions of radiation exposure to the benefit of a possible diagnosis from the scan.

ADVANCE Perspective: Nurses : Are CT Scans Worth the Risk?

January 12, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA