More radiology tests found to be of low-value in the emergency room.
Five exams - including four imaging tests - have been deemed “low value” in the emergency room for certain patients, according to an article published in JAMA Internal Medicine. This latest list comes on the heels of the Choosing Wisely Campaign, which advises different specialties about tests that may have little value, including radiology exams.
Researchers from Partners HealthCare in Boston, Mass., sought to create a list of five tests, treatments, and disposition decisions, in addition to those already identified, which are of little value, are amenable to standardization, and are actionable by emergency medicine clinicians. To do so, the researchers surveyed 283 emergency medicine clinicians (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) from six emergency departments.
A technical expert panel was assembled, which conducted a modified Delphi process to identify a top-five list using a four-step process.
The researchers developed this new top-five list:
The authors concluded that their panel identified clinical actions that were of low value and within the control of emergency department healthcare providers. “This method can be used to identify additional actionable targets of overuse in emergency medicine,” they wrote.