Patients with known spinal injuries who were transferred from an outside hospital to a tertiary receiving institution had a high rate of repeat spine imaging, according to a study published in Spine.
Researchers analyzed data regarding 1427 patients with known spine injuries transferred from an outside hospital emergency department. All imaging and radiology reports from the outside hospital were reviewed by researchers, as well as studies performed at the tertiary receiving institution.
The overall rate of repeat computed tomography was found to be 29 percent. "Potential solutions include only performing scans at the outside hospital necessary to establish a diagnosis requiring transfer and improving communication between the outside hospital and receiving institution physicians," wrote the study authors.
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