ArticleCureus2025
Reducing Inappropriate Abdominal X-ray Requests in a Surgical Admissions Unit: A Quality Improvement Project.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAbdominal X-rays (AXRs) are a common investigation for acute abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) imaging has largely replaced AXRs as the recommended investigation of acute abdominal pain due to the greater detail and improved diagnostic information it can provide. This project aimed to reduce the number of inappropriate AXR imaging requests in a surgical admission unit (SAU).
methodsAXR requests were compared against national radiology guidelines (iRefer) to assess if they were inappropriate. Initial baseline data were collected over three months. Three interventions were introduced to improve the rate of inappropriate requests made: (1) developing locally agreed guidelines for AXR requests, (2) placing guideline posters in the surgical assessment unit, and (3) altering the electronic AXR order form. Data were collected after each intervention period. The number of CT scan requests was collected before and after intervention 3 to assess for concurrent change in volume.
resultsAt baseline, 69% of AXR requests were considered inappropriate; the majority of requests made were for bowel obstruction (BO, 60%). Overall rates of inappropriate requests improved to 50% after intervention 1, 41% after intervention 2, and 11% after intervention 3. CT scan requests remained similar pre- and post intervention 3.
conclusionThe project has reduced the inappropriate use of AXRs following the implementation of three interventions.
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