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CT Scans for Abdominal Pain May Reduce Hospitalizations
Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media, January 26, 2011
In all, CT changed the course of care for 20 conditions.
The number of patients who were discharged from the hospital rather than were admitted or put into observation status increased by 55% (from 142 to 220 patients).
The authors acknowledge that their study has several limitations. It did not have a control group, and patients were not consecutively enrolled in the study because investigation coordinators were not working around the clock.
However, they conclude that CT scans change the leading diagnosis, increase diagnostic certainty and alter potential patient management decisions.
See also:
Cheryl Clark is senior quality editor and California correspondent for HealthLeaders Media. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists.
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