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X-ray use in ED increased for asthmatic children
Reducing the use of X-rays in the ED for children with asthma could result in cost savings and reduced radiation, according to recent study findings.
“Despite no changes in guidelines to support routine use, there is a significant upward trend in the use of radiographs for children with emergency department visits for asthma,” Jane F. Knapp, MD, of Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo.,and colleagues wrote in a study published in Pediatrics. “Pediatric-focused EDs use significantly fewer radiographs for asthma, bronchiolitis, and croup.”
Jane F. Knapp
The retrospective, cross-sectional study used data between 1995 and 2009 from the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey on X-ray at ED visits in children aged 2 to 18 years with asthma, aged 3 months to 1 year with bronchiolitis, and aged 3 months to 6 years with croup.
Researchers found that X-ray use for asthma increased significantly over time (OR=1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.09) but stayed the same for bronchiolitis (OR=0.37; 95% CI, 0.23-0.59) and croup (OR=0.34; 95% CI, 0.17-0.68). The Midwest and South regions used radiographs more than the Northeast for all three conditions. The Western region used X-rays more frequently for asthma (OR=1.67; 95% CI, 1.07-2.60) and bronchiolitis (OR=2.94; 95% CI, 1.48-5.87).
“We studied trends and patterns in performance in the ED use of radiographs for asthma, bronchiolitis, and croup and found that moderate-to-severe asthma has increased,” researchers wrote. “Reversing this trend could improve ED efficiency, decrease costs, and decrease radiation exposure. Pediatric-focused EDs used significantly fewer radiographs for all three conditions. Future research should study the implementation and translating effective ED care-based models systemwide.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
