ArticleCanadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien2011
Do family physicians request ultrasound scans appropriately?
Article in Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Inappropriate use of clinical practices in Canada: a systematic review.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Thyroid Ultrasound Appropriateness Identification Through Natural Language Processing of Electronic Health Records.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2024Article
- Article
- Characterizing and quantifying low-value diagnostic imaging internationally: a scoping review.BMC medical imaging · 2022Article
- Article
- Use and overuse of diagnostic neck ultrasound in Ontario: Retrospective population-based cohort study.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2020Article
- A pilot study examining Toronto-area family physician perspectives on thyroid neoplasm evaluation.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale · 2019Article
- A scoping review of appropriateness of care research activity in Canada from a health system-level perspective.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo review family physicians' requests for abdominal, thyroid, pelvic, soft tissue, and carotid ultrasound (US) scans, and to determine whether 5% or more of these tests were not clearly indicated based on the clinical history provided.
designAnalysis of 620 randomly chosen requests for US scans.
settingThe Radiology Department at the Capital District Health Authority in Halifax, NS, between October 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009.
participantsTwo radiologists and 2 family physicians with clinical expertise and familiarity with the Canadian Association of Radiologists' 2005 guidelines.
main outcome measuresWhether US requests were "indicated," "not clearly indicated," or "not legible" according to the Canadian Association of Radiologists' 2005 guidelines. Those that were illegible were discarded and replaced. Results More than 5% of requests for abdominal, thyroid, or carotid US scans were not clearly indicated. The percentages of requests for pelvic and soft tissue scans that were not clearly indicated were not significant. The reviewers found only 5 illegible request forms. Percentages of abdominal, thyroid, and carotid US scans not clearly indicated were 12.1%, 18.8%, and 25.2%, respectively. Reasons for inappropriate US requests included the following: wrong tests (3.2%), vague clinical questions (4.8%), and unfocused examinations (4.8%) for abdominal scans; wrong tests (3.2%), vague clinical questions (3.2%), unnecessary investigations (5.6%), and unnecessary follow-up examinations (5.6%) for thyroid scans; and unnecessary tests (10.5%), vague clinical questions (5.6%), and unnecessary tests for "dizziness" (10.5%) for carotid scans.
conclusionMore than 5% of the abdominal, thyroid, and carotid US scans requested by family physicians were not clearly indicated based on the clinical history provided. Common trends in requesting these examinations reinforce the need to improve guidelines for requesting scans and for managing many presenting complaints in family practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
21841093PMC3155465What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.