AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 2013
Appropriateness of imaging studies ordered by emergency medicine residents: results of an online survey.
The purpose of this study is to determine the proficiency of emergency medicine residents in selecting appropriate radiologic examinations for specific clinical scenarios and to ascertain whether their training improves competency in this area over the course of their residency. ⋯ Emergency medicine residents do not show significant improvement over the course of their residency in their ability to choose appropriate imaging studies. This finding suggests that there is a role for more-rigorous focused instruction to better familiarize residents with appropriateness guidelines for diagnostic imaging selection.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 2013
Cost-effectiveness of a novel blood-pool contrast agent in the setting of chest pain evaluation in an emergency department.
We evaluated three diagnostic strategies with the objective of comparing the current standard of care for individuals presenting acute chest pain and no history of coronary artery disease (CAD) with a novel diagnostic strategy using an emerging technology (blood-pool contrast agent [BPCA]) to identify the potential benefits and cost reductions. ⋯ BPCAs could have a significant impact in the diagnosis of acute chest pain, in particular for populations with high incidences of CIN. In addition, a BPCA strategy could garner further savings if currently excluded phenomena including renal disease and incidental findings were included in the decision model.