CT-based informed consent lags in U.S. academic centers

Teaching hospitals need to do a better job of informing patients about CT's potential benefits and risks, according to Yale researchers.

Radiologist Dr. Christoph I. Lee and colleagues mailed a survey to 113 members of the Society of Chairmen of Academic Radiology Departments. The survey asked if the institutions implemented informed consent guidelines for non-ER patients before those patients underwent CT exams.

The investigators found that radiology technologists are more likely than radiologists to inform patients about CT and associated risks. Although most teaching hospitals currently have guidelines for informed consent regarding CT, only about one-fourth inform patients about possible radiation risks and alternatives (AJR 2006;187[2]:282-287).